Mayor D.N. Beale quietly explained the impression Dylan Moore cast on him. The Moore family quietly accepted a proclamation making Sept. 18 Dylan Moore Day.

“I never had the opportunity to meet Dylan,” Beale said tonight during city council’s meeting. “I did attend the funeral. As people stood up and spoke, if you hadn’t ever met him, you realized what type of little fellow he was.”

The mayor said there wasn’t a better place to hold Dylan’s funeral than the Roanoke Rapids Theatre. “You could picture him standing there with his cowboy hat and guitar ... He was definitely a showman.”

After the mayor read the proclamation the audience stood as Dylan’s mother, Betsy said, “We thank everyone for doing this. We thank everyone for the prayers and support. We want to say thank you all.”

The resolution honored Dylan by mentioning his love of country music, The Andy Griffith Show, his dog Corky and his pony Silver.

Three years after his birth Dylan was diagnosed on Sept. 22, 2004, with Fanconi Anemia, a rare blood disorder. “Dylan was an inspiration to everyone that knew him as he braved the many tests and treatments over the last five years,” said the proclamation. “The city of Roanoke Rapids and citizens of the entire Roanoke Valley were saddened to learn of Dylan’s passing on Sunday, July 26, 2009.”

Said the document: “Dylan will be missed by all whose lives he touched during his short seven years of life and The Roanoke Rapids City Council would like to pay tribute to Dylan for his bravery and inspiration, his strong spirit and for teaching all of us some very valuable lessons about life.”

Anthony Finney, who led a movement on the social networking website Facebook to have a day set aside for the youngster said following the meeting he was pleased by council’s unanimous approval. “I chose to do something for him because of what he did for me,” said Finney, who has said in previous interviews with The Spin the youngster inspired him to keep his head up.

“We’re truly honored,” Dylan’s mother said following the meeting, adding she was moved by Finney’s effort to have the day in her son’s honor, a movement which as of tonight had 1,068 members. “We really appreciate Mr. Finney doing that. We’re glad Dylan was able to change his life.”