Ridgefield firefighter dies following battle with brain cancer
Ridgefield firefighter Dionigi “Gino” Furano Jr. died peacefully Friday surrounded by his family. He was 50 and is being remembered as a true professional.
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People all over western Connecticut are remembering a local firefighter who died after a battle with brain cancer.
Ridgefield firefighter Dionigi “Gino” Furano Jr. died peacefully Friday surrounded by his family. He was 50 and is being remembered as a true professional.
His uniform sits in front of the firehouse along with a plaque in his honor.
"He made sure every single person that called 911, whatever their emergency big or small, he was going to make sure they were taken care of and their family was taken care of," said Ridgefield Fire Capt. Rom Duckworth.
Furano lived in Greenwich his whole life and had been battling brain cancer for a year and a half.
"He first noticed symptoms when he was on duty. He was having some challenges with his memory, and it actually resulted in us transporting him in our ambulance to the hospital," said Duckworth.
Weeks after going to the hospital, Furano several times came back to the firehouse to visit his friends.
"He went through his surgeries, and he went through his chemotherapy. There were times that definitely things looked very up. And when things started to take a turn for the worse, he still had a positive attitude and expressed his love for us every day," said Duckworth.
Furano was a career firefighter for Ridgefield Local 1739 for the past eight years.
His department now wants to give back to him and his family for all he has done for others.
Furano leaves behind his wife, a son and a daughter. His funeral is Tuesday morning at Saint Paul Catholic Church in Greenwich.
Visitation hours are 3-8 p.m. Monday at Harvest Time Church in Greenwich.
The family is requesting donations to the Ridgefield Professional Firefighters Memorial Scholarship fund.
