Photos: FDNY Lieutenant Laid to Rest

It wasn’t a raging inferno or a chemical explosion or a fall from an angled ladder that took the life of FDNY Lt. Joseph Maiello.

Maiello died of natural causes while on duty in his Staten Island firehouse on Sunday. His loss was more than enough to put a hole in the hearts of mourners at the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church.

Maiello, 53, a husband and father of two, was remembered at his funeral Thursday morning as a mentor, a teacher, a leader and a protector.

Maiello, a 22 year veteran, was working a Christmas night shift before he was found dead inside Engine 163/Ladder 83 headquarters on Jewett Ave. in Westerleigh, FDNY officials said.

The Brooklyn-born Maiello began his career as a teacher, like his parents, before joining the FDNY in 1999.

Among the mourners who filled the ornate church was outgoing Mayor de Blasio, who shared a message for Maeillo’s children, Jake and Cecilia.

De Blasio recalled losing his own dad as a teenager, and assured Maiello’s children that their father would continue to inspire them.

“He will be there in a different way,” de Blasio said. “I can assure you. I’ve lived it. Dad will be an angel on your shoulder. That hero will always be with you.”

FDNY chaplain Monsignor John Delendick compared the fallen firefighter to another Joseph, the New Testament’s Joseph, who according to the Bible, was married to the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Messiah, sparking Christmas celebrations across the globe.

Delendick said the Bible’s Joseph was a protector who looked out for his family.

“His job was to keep them safe and protect them,” Delendick said of Maiello. “He did that.

He taught them about different virtues. He taught them about the proper way of living.”

A soloist sang “Ave Maria,” and a priest prepared the communion. James Maiello joked about his big brother’s bad grades growing up. He said his brother dreamed of being a firefighter as a child.

“My brother was a very generous man. He could go out of his way to help anyone even if he didn’t like them, and there were a lot of people he didn’t like. He always had my back. He was a great brother.”

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