A firefighter from Nesconset who drowned last week trying to save his son in Lake Tahoe was laid to rest Monday.

Hundreds of mourners from Martin Simmons? fire company in Brooklyn and from across Long Island gathered to say goodbye. Inside the packed church, Simmons was remembered as a friend, a father and a very popular Little League coach.

?It was a tremendous showing and I really hope it meant a lot to his family,? FDNY Capt. Steven Berube said.

A letter from Simmons? wife Judy was read aloud at the ceremony. Judy Simmons told her husband he didn?t have to die to become a hero, because he already was one.

Simmons was vacationing at the lake when his 10-year-old son got a cramp while swimming. He dove in to save the boy, but did not make it out of the water.

Simmons was a decorated firefighter and police officer. Friends say after Sept. 11, he helped and supported the families of the five firefighters who died from his company.