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GREELEY —
Volunteer Fire Capt. Shane Stewart was remembered in Greeley
on Thursday as a fellow with an impish grin, a mischievous
streak and a kind-hearted father of two who went out of his
way to help others.
Between
laughter at some of his practical jokes and a large-screen
picture of Stewart in drag, there were heartfelt words of
condolence and loss.
"He will
be deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him," said
Scott Wagner, the chief of the Ault-Pierce Fire Protection
District.
"I felt
honored when we moved into the new station, and he asked to
have the locker next to mine."
Stewart,
33, was killed early Saturday when the 1995 pumper engine he
was driving ran off the road as he answered an Ault medical
call.
More than
300 fire and rescue first-responders paid tribute to
Stewart, an Ault-Pierce Fire Protection District volunteer
and Pierce station captain.
The
service was held in Greeley's Union Colony Civic Center.
Outside were firetrucks and ambulances from more than 40
jurisdictions.
Two hook
and ladder trucks — one from Colorado Springs and the other
from Edgewater — extended their ladders over the street, a
giant American flag hanging from the ladders and blowing in
the gentle breeze.
Shane
Stewart's grin was a personal trademark — a "permanent
fixture" that rarely left him, said the Rev. Erik Karas.
But Karas
said the overwhelming personal characteristic of Stewart was
his devotion to being a firefighter and helping others.
"He loved
being a fireman," Karas said. "He hungered for more and more
training and more and more knowledge so he could serve
people."
"He
changed life and made a difference. Shane's life did nothing
but change the world," he said.
Wagner,
chief of the Ault-Pierce Fire Protection District, said
Stewart loved to talk to people and loved to eat — raiding
refrigerators for hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, just
about anything. One thing Stewart didn't like was the
"countdown" when the fire department was responding to an
emergency.
Wagner
said he would yell out the miles to the scene — three miles,
two miles and one mile. As he yelled "three," Stewart would
grunt; when he yelled "two," Stewart would let loose with
some expletives; and at one mile, Stewart would yell "Shut
Up!"
"He
didn't like the countdown. It made him very nervous," Wagner
said.
Throughout the service, everyone's thoughts were with
Stewart's family — his wife, Cyndee, and sons Blake, 9, and
Logan, 7, and his parents, Paul and Jeanette, and brother
Sean.
After the
service, the flag-draped casket was carried to Ault/Pierce
Fire Protection District Engine No. 6 as dozens of
firefighters lined the sidewalk.
There,
the casket was carefully lifted to the top of the truck.
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