UPPER WEST SIDE — Family and friends gathered at an Upper West Side church to mourn the loss of 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa, one of two men killed by a massive gas explosion in the East Village last month.
Mourners began arriving at the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, located on the corner of West 96th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, at 9:45 a.m. for Figueroa’s funeral, with a few dressed in white T-shirts that read “RIP Nicholas, Forever Loved!”
Figueroa’s father, Nixon, wrapped an arm around his wife, Ana, as the hearse pulled up shortly before 10 a.m. She later wept as loved ones wrapped their arms around her and extended their condolences, while her husband, though visibly upset, kept his composure.
About 200 people filed into the Catholic church for Figueroa’s funeral, where he was remembered as an Eagle Scout who helped his mother teach religious education classes in the parish.
“The service was beautiful,” said Figueroa’s godmother, Mercedes Estrada, 55. “We tried to listen to all the words and tried to reconcile with what just happened but there’s just no way to understand what it is.”
Figueroa, who lived in Harlem, was on a date at Sushi Park, a restaurant located at 121 Second Ave., when the explosion tore through the building on March 26.
“He was full of love and curiosity and… just looking to learn and very free-spirited,” Estrada said.
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer also attended the service, saying that she wanted to pay her respects to the family, who she didn’t know before the tragedy.
Figueroa's body was recovered from the rubble days later, along with Moises Ismael Locon Yac, a 26-year-old worker at the eatery, officials said.
Relatives also held a funeral service for Locon Monday morning at the Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Queens, according to the New York Times. Around 30 people attended the mass, the Times reported, which was arranged by the Guatemalan Consulate. His body will be sent to Guatemala Wednesday, according to the report.
Figueroa’s family had little to the say to after the ceremony.
“It was beautiful,” said Nixon Figueroa as he was whisked away from reporters and into a vehicle parked outside the church.
Figueroa’s family created a GoFundMe page days after the explosion to help pay for his memorial service, which had raised nearly $28,000 as of Tuesday. A similar effort for Locon was created by East Village residents and has raised more than $7,600.
Nixon Figuera said at his son’s wake on Monday that he would be cremated.
