Terror vic’s kin recall his smile

SCORES OF MOURNERS fondly recalled terror victim Darren Drake’s short but impactful life Saturday: His ever-present smile, his way around the kitchen, his heart of gold.

“He was a beautiful man,” said his mother Barbara, who stood with husband Jimmy alongside their son’s casket at a New Jersey wake. “He was our only child, so we’re trying our best.”

The heartbroken couple offered hugs and kisses to each mourner inside the Boulevard Funeral Home in New Milford, N.J., where the 6-foot-4 Drake lived with his parents.

“He was a nice guy, always smiling,” recalled New Milford High School classmate Mike Glassile. “Very lovable person.”

A teary Larry Carroll, 60, recalled watching Drake grow up in the northern New Jersey suburb.

“He was a gentle giant ... and he’s going to be missed by everyone,” said the local bartender. “It’s just so senseless what happened.”

The line of mourners stretched from the brown casket to the street outside, with floral arrangements shaped like U.S. and Irish flags flanking Drake.

He wore a New York Jets caps with his black suit and a maroon tie inside the open casket.

Close family friend Dorinne Auriemma, 57, recalled Drake as a good cook from a great family.

“I can tell you one thing — he made a hell of a sausage and peppers tray,” said Auriemma. “Just an all-around beautiful family, and to have their son taken from them that way is just horrendous.

“It’s heartbreaking,” she continued. “He was only a kid! To have your only son taken away from you, there are just no words.”

Drake, 32, was killed on Oct. 31 while riding a bike during a break from his job at Moody’s Investors Services in the World Trade Center.

Ana Serrano, 60, never knew Drake or his family but felt compelled to attend the wake, driving up from her home in South Jersey.

“I felt in my heart that I had to be here to extend my sympathies,” she said. “We’re all family. We have to be there for each other during difficult times like this.”

Drake’s mother Barbara said she appreciated the support of strangers like Serrano.

“She was like, ‘So many people are coming that don’t even know us,’” related Serrano. “And I said, ‘This is America. We extend our hearts, we’re feeling it.’ It hits home.”

Just eight days earlier, Carroll recalled, Drake won second prize in a Halloween costume contest with an outfit reflecting his quirky sense of humor.

He wore an empty box of Cheerios around his neck, with eight plastic knives sticking out of it.

“He was a ‘cereal’ killer,” Carroll laughed. “I’m going to miss him sincerely. God bless his soul.”