LYNCHBURG, Va. – A homegoing celebration fit for a hero.
“The biggest compliment that you can ever be paid as a firefighter is for other firefighters that you respect to call you a good firefighter, to say that you’re a good fireman. And that is absolutely how he was known,” Lynchburg Fire Battalion Chief Charlie Shealy said.
Master Firefighter Andrew Jenks was laid to rest Wednesday after a years-long battle with cancer.
Hundreds of people came out to say their goodbyes, including dozens of firefighters from across the state.
“There’s just no one way to define him. We’re gonna miss him as a fireman, Wade’s gonna miss him as a father, his wife’s gonna miss him as a husband,” Shealy said.
For Shealy, Andrew was more than a coworker. He was a lifelong friend.
“We all lost something a little bit different,” he said.
Shealy spoke during the service and struggled to narrow down what to say about Andrew’s life.
“I could have eulogized him for hours and not had to make up a single thing. I would have to pull back more than I would have to dig up things to tell you about how great he was,” he said.
Every firefighter we spoke with, no matter where they came from, told me the same thing: they’re all family.
“They know what it’s like to work this job. The mental stress that comes along with it, the physical stress that your body takes over the years. It’s just an unspoken respect,” Shealy said.
That’s why other stations came out in full force, whether that was showing support at the funeral, or covering shifts at Lynchburg stations, like Forest Lieutenant Spencer Middleton.
“A bunch of Lynchburg firemen who were on shift today were able to go out and attend the funeral,” Middleton said.
Even though Middleton never met Andrew, he considers him and the rest of the Lynchburg Fire Department family.
“It’s just a brotherhood in the fire service,” he said.
Shealy tells 10 News he already feels the empty space left by Andrew, but is thankful for precious time with him.
“He was a great example of how to handle the things that life throws at you,” Shealy said.
He’s determined to handle life from here on out, Andrew style.
“We’ve had a nonstop supply of lemons that life has been handing us, but we have a lifetime supply of lemonade we can hand out whenever we’re ready,” Shealy said.
Andrew leaves behind a wife and a young son. A GoFundMe has been set up to support his son’s future and education, maintain his farm and cattle, and bills and expenses.