‘There will only ever be one’: City of Boston says goodbye to fallen firefighter Robert Kilduff Jr.

[ ‘One of our best’: Veteran Boston firefighter killed battling 3-alarm blaze in Dorchester ]

Kilduff Jr. was a 24-year veteran of the department, a third-generation firefighter, and a United States Marine veteran.

Kilduff’s wake was held Sunday afternoon at Saint Theresa’s Church in West Roxbury, where first responders from across the country lined the streets to honor him.

A procession from West Roxbury made its way to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End ahead of the funeral service, which began at 10 a.m.

Boston Archbishop Reverend Richard Henning presided over the funeral Mass.

‘He was truly a light’

At the beginning of the funeral, many of those who knew Kilduff Jr. spoke about the man and firefighter he was.

“One of the best compliments that a firefighter can pay to another firefighter is to call him a good jake. BK was a jake’s jake,” said Fire Commissioner Rodney Marshall.

“And from what I learned, the jake’s jake was an even better man. While Bobby is worthy of the title of hero many times over, he would never want you to call him that. He’d prefer to be known for being a great dad, a great partner, a mentor, a brother firefighter, and a friend. He was truly a light in this world,” said Marshall.

For firefighters, when an incident is over, Marshall said the commander on scene will usually give the all-clear and say it’s safe to go home by giving an all-out, denoted by the special signal “2222.”

“Firefighter Kilduff Jr., you’ve answered the final alarm with honor. The Lord has asked for all out on box 1862. It’s time to come home,” he said.

“The fact that yesterday it also began to rain exactly as we stepped off for the walk-by before that, and 24 hours before to the minute there was a random sonic boom caused by a meteoric fireball, seems to me that BK is not only just fine up there, he’s figured out how to work all the controls already,” said Mayor Wu.

“Every day we get to live here fully and freely, knowing heroes will rush to our side should we ever find ourselves in harm’s way. Boston has never lost the faith that when we call, someone will come,” she said.

“And when one of our protectors lays down their life in service to our city, every heart in Boston feels the pain of that loss.”

Wu also spoke about visiting Rescue 2 where Kilduff Jr. worked, where a woman showed up and told his coworkers that she didn’t know Bobby, but knew him. Bobby had helped the woman when her car caught fire just down the block, and because he was calm, she became calm in one of the scariest moments of her life. She never got his name but recognized his face, Wu said.

“No one embodied or believed in our principles, our cause, and our mission more than he did,” said Union President Samuel Dillon.

“We commit ourselves to being the caliber of father, friend, and firefighter that Bobby was to all of us. We probably won’t get there, because there will only ever be one Bobby Kilduff. But if we can somehow be a fraction of the man and human that he was within our own lives, we will have accomplished something truly special.”

“Honestly I’m expecting BK to pop out of a corner somewhere and yell gotcha, and this nightmare will be over,” said Victor Gaybor, who worked with Bobby for 15 years. Bobby was a master of playing pranks, editing videos, or putting photos into Photoshop, Gaybor said.

“We loved our work so much that most days, it didn’t feel like work at all. It felt like we were just kids, having fun, having the time of our lives. We laughed a lot and made fond memories I’ll remember forever.”

“He didn’t die alone. He died surrounded by his brothers in that room at the hospital,” said Lt. Greg Kelly, reassuring his two kids and longtime partner, Jessica. Kilduff Jr.’s very last act was to yell up to two men as the third floor became unstable.

“We were in that room with him when he took his last breath, and we were praying for him, and he knew we were there, and he knew how much we loved him,” said Kelly.

‘To know my dad was to love him’

His two children, Hanna Jane and Mason, also spoke about their dad, as well as his longtime partner Jessica Spruell.

“He used to say the only thing he loved more than being a firefighter was being our dad,” Hanna said.

“To know my dad was to love him. My dad was someone to everyone, but everything to me.”

“When I was little and saw anything that made me anxious, my dad would tell me to look for the helpers...even as a child I understood that my dad was one of the helpers.”

Her dad was everything this world could be, she said. Hanna said one of her favorite stories from her childhood that Kilduff Jr. liked to tell was when she didn’t pull the handle on a ride because she was laughing hysterically.

The story became such an important symbol through every phase of her life, she said.

“My dad would say she’s pulling the handle. If my dad could share a message with all of you today, he’d tell you to pull the handle,” she said.

Mason shared that his dad was his best friend, the one he never failed to talk about Boston sports with and go to games, restaurants, or events with.

“We’re Boston guys forever. We both joked that him and I would always bleed green.”

“The greatest thing I get to claim about my dad was that he was my best friend. He always said he wanted me to be better than him. My dad is my hero. He’s the hero everyone says he is,” he said.

“People don’t show up like this simply because of titles or accomplishments, they show up because of somehow made them feel or how they made a difference in their lives. He did that for so many people,” said his long-time partner, Jessica. You can see his heart, values, and his strength, his kindness in his children, she said.

“BK didn’t love halfway, if you were his, you felt it,” said Jess. “Thank you for showing us what it means to show up for others, to love without limits, what it means to give pieces of yourself to others without asking for anything in return,” she said.

IAFF General President Edward Kelly presented Hanna Jane and Mason Kilduff with the Martin E. Pierce Commemorative Line-of-Duty Death Medal, the IAFF’s highest honor bestowed upon the families of members who make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

Kilduff Jr. will pass by Rescue 2 before his burial service.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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