By Carmen Duarte
The Arizona Daily Star
TUCSON, Ariz. — Jose Samaniego, a firefighter with Golder Ranch Fire District who was known for his “passion for community service,” died Monday after a short illness. He was 33.
Samaniego was hospitalized last week with a serious illness, but “he did not respond to treatment and declined rapidly,” said Anne-Marie Braswell, a fire district spokeswoman.
The Tucson native was surrounded by his family when he died at a local hospital. His “fire family” also was able to say goodbye, Braswell said.
“Firefighter Samaniego wore his heart on his sleeve and had a passion for community service,” said Golder Ranch Fire Chief Randy Karrer in a news release. The fire district serves communities north of Tucson.
“He worked diligently alongside his brothers and sisters in the fire service to respond to the needs of his community and also donated countless hours off-duty to give back to those in need,” Karrer said.
Samaniego was on the board of the North Tucson Firefighters’s Association Local 3832, and his work included fundraisers for local foster families, said Braswell.
Fourteen years ago, Samaniego began his career as a wildland firefighter and as a member of the Avra Valley Fire District. He then was hired as a firefighter by Raytheon Missile Systems before going to work in 2012 for Golder Ranch.
While at Golder Ranch, he went through training and certification to work as a member of the Special Operations Team, specializing in technical rescues and hazardous materials incidents, Braswell said.
According to a family friend, who organized the Jose Samaniego Family Memorial Fund on generosity.com, the community raised more than its $10,000 goal in one day, and a longer-term goal was set at $40,000.
Photos of the family enjoying the outdoors are on the page on which Samaniego is described as an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed activities with his his children. He enjoyed hunting and fishing.
He is survived by his wife, Serena, and four children — Andres, 11, Alysha, 9, Adam, 7, and Annabella, 5.
A 10:30 a.m. service will be held Monday, April 17, at St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Ave.
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