Fallen Boston firefighter remembered as the glue who held station together: "He's going to be felt in this firehouse forever"

Memories of fallen Boston firefighter Robert "Bobby" Kilduff's touch every corner of Rescue 2 in Roxbury, and his former colleagues say it will remain that way for years to come.

The 24-year fire veteran was killed during a fall at a fire on Saturday but he is impossible to forget, his coworkers told WBZ.

"That's Bobby and his best friend," said Deputy Chief Brian Tully as he showed off a gallery wall inside the Roxbury fire station. Tully said that Kilduff created the wall, complete with pictures from decades past and also from recent fires.

"There will be no replacing Bobby"

"There will be no replacing Bobby," Tully said. "We are going to try and find a way to move on, but he's going to be felt in this firehouse forever."

Tully said fellow firefighters were taking comfort in being at work, or visiting the station on off shifts.

"You can talk about the good times and the funny times … and that helps you get through tragic times like this," he said.

Once you pass the gallery of pictures going up to the station's second floor, you reach another wall - one covered in images of fallen firefighters. That, too, was built by Bobby Kilduff. Kilduff's father, Robert Kilduff Sr., is featured on the wall.

Firehouse mourns Bobby Kilduff

Bobby "BK" Kilduff's handwriting is still imprinted across the station whiteboard. "SEE BK," it reads, calling on his coworkers to call him if they wanted to order a $20 t-shirt in memory of a coworker who died of cancer in February.

That's just who BK was, his coworkers said. They say he was the guy who always took care of everyone, who always knew what was going on, and who held the group together.

"There's not enough hours in the day to be Bobby Kilduff, but he found a way and he was so good at it," said Sam Dillon, the President of Boston Firefighters IAFF Local 718. Kilduff was a prominent union member. "And the thing about Bobby, BK was BK 24-7. He knew exactly where he stood and knew exactly what you were gonna get."

When other firefighters died, Kilduff "was the first person to show up and the first person to make sure that everything went the way that it should, so we owe it to Bobby to honor his legacy and his family," Dillon said.

Kilduff's wake is planned for Sunday night. His funeral will be Monday at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. Dillon expects thousands of firefighters from across North America to attend.