The commemorative plaque read, “21 years of service,” and his worn out uniform — a pair of heavily scuffed boots, a tattered jacket and bright yellow helmet — was arranged in front of the closed casket.
Gainesville firefighter Robert H. Gasche’s friends called him “Buddy.” More than 600 of those friends, family and coworkers attended his funeral on Monday.
A week earlier, 54-year-old Gasche died in a car accident at 6:30 a.m. in Baker County, returning from a hunting trip in Georgia.
Even before Gainesville Fire Rescue got a call from police in the area, Deputy Chief Tim Hayes knew something was wrong when Gasche didn’t arrive for his 8 a.m. shift.
“He never comes late to work,” Hayes said. “That’s not Buddy.”
Many at the memorial service agreed that he was most known for his dedication.
“He wanted to be in somebody’s life, making a difference in somebody’s life,” District Chief Pat Lewis said.
Others remembered him for his sense of humor.
“We know Buddy liked to be a tease,” Fire Chief Gene Prince said. “He could take a joke and he could milk it all day long, and it’d still be as funny as the first time you heard it.”
Those who worked with him said he was also a skilled carpenter and he’d use his free time to craft things for the office.
Before becoming a firefighter with GFR, he was a paramedic for Alachua Fire Rescue.
In 2005, he helped respond to emergency calls in South Florida after Hurricane Wilma as part of search-and-rescue task force.
“We’re all better to have known him, to have worked with him and to have had him in our lives,” Prince said.
Gasche is survived by his daughter, Jordanna, his father, Robert Gasche Sr., his mother, Carol, and his sisters, Tracy and Laurene.
