Flushing street renamed for 9/11 hero

Michael Lynch, the heroic firefighter who perished trying to save lives on 9/11, will be remembered on at least one street of Flushing.
Born and raised in the northeastern Queens neighborhood, Lynch, who also raised his two sons - Michael and Jack - there, with his wife, Denise, before moving to New Hyde Park a few years prior to 9/11, had the corner of Union Street and 41st Avenue re-named in his honor last Saturday, May 28th.
“The community of Flushing was wonderful,” said his sister, Bernadette. “It was all our neighbors and friends and firefighters who have worked with my brother. It was great. A lot of the people supported my family the last five years. [They aided] them with their grieving and trying to get back to a normal life.”
Councilman John Liu, State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, and Lynch’s entire family, including his parents and six living siblings (his sister Maureen, passed away a year after him, succumbing to breast cancer), were all on hand for the emotional ceremony held on Saturday May 27.
Several firefighters from Engine 54, Ladder 4, the firehouse on 48th Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan that lost 15 of their brethren on 9/11, paid homage, along with Monsignor Edward Wetterer of St. Michael’s Church (located a block away from the street re-naming), where Lynch went to grammar school. “It’s absolutely great,” Lynch’s father, Danny said. “My wife can see it when she goes to work and comes home and I can [too] when I go out for a walk.”
Added Stavisky, “Firefighter Michael Lunch grew up in Flushing, and it is appropriate to add his name to the street in front of St. Michael’s Church, where he studied and worshipped. A firehouse is a block away, and people for generations to come will look up, see the sign, and honor his memory.
A graduate of St. Francis Prep, where he played varsity basketball, and SUNY Albany, Lynch, the youngest of eight children, became a firefighter in 1990, and took the lieutenant’s test a few years prior to his heroic death. Unfortunately, he was informed he didn’t have enough service; he intended on taking it again a few years later.
Lynch’s parents, Danny and Catherine, described him as a tough yet lovable guy, one that wasn’t very outgoing until he knew you, and then was as friendly as can be. “He was very kind,” Catherine Lynch said. Although Danny Lynch said his son “would’ve been embarrassed” at the large crowd of 250, he “would’ve smiled also.”