WEST JEFFERSON, Ohio — Photos taken recently show Jefferson Township firefighter Tommy Rees and his family outside Nationwide Children’s Hospital, spreading holiday cheer and showing support for patients.
What they didn't know then: his wife Brooke and their children, would receive an outpouring of community support, too.
“She'd live in a cardboard box just to have her husband back,” said Dylan Wildman, the public information officer at the Jefferson Township Fire Department.
Wildman was more than a co-worker to Rees. He was a close friend.
“It's definitely a loss that's going to be felt throughout the entire community,” he said. “He grew up here, this is where he calls home. His extended family lives here so we're all hurting.”
On Monday, Wildman would have his very last conversation with Rees.
“The night before he had been experiencing some heartburn-type symptoms nothing out of the ordinary,” he explained.
Overnight into Tuesday, Rees was working a shift at the fire department when he passed away in his sleep.
“The preliminary autopsy showed that it seems to be a massive cardiac event,” he said.
In their time of grieving, Wildman and the rest of the fire crew are focused on helping his wife and four kids.
They’ve created a GoFundMe, which you can donate to here.
“We really want them to know that anything they need. We're here for them to support them because they are an extension of our family,” Wildman said. “They know that we love them just like we love Tommy.”
A person they loved. A person who dedicated his life to helping others.
“He was a stranger to no one and a friend to everyone,” Wildman said. “Just really would give the shirt off his back to help anybody out.”
Rees was a firefighter with the Jefferson Township Fire Department for more than six years.
The department announced the details of the funeral service planned for next week. His family will receive friends from noon to 6p.m. Tuesday January 4th at the Cypress Wesleyan Church, located at 377 Alton Darby Creek Road in Galloway. That’s also where the funeral service will be held the following day, Wednesday January 5th at 11:00a.m. Burial will follow the funeral at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in West Jefferson.