PLEASANT GARDEN, N.C. — The Pleasant Garden Fire Department is grappling with a challenging week.
It lost one member to cancer, and now another is fighting for his life.
On Monday, the Pleasant Garden Fire Department remembered Fire Commissioner Phil Marion.
Marion managed the fire district, working with emergency services and fostering community engagement.
He was a husband, dad, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
The same department is also praying for firefighter Phil Duke. He is fighting his own battle with cancer.
Lieutenant Floyd Cook has worked for the department for 43 years. He said both Phil Marion and Phil Duke are people he considers family.
"Even though we might not be blood kin, they are still like a brother," said Cook.
Cook said Marion visited the station often.
"He would come by here and drink a cup of coffee and being a board member, he would joke every now and check and make sure you're doing your job," said Cook. "He cared about you. He was a board member, but it went beyond that. He was also family oriented and he was very instrumental in helping this fire department progress as it has today."
Marion also owned a tile company. The tile you will find in Station 3 was laid by Marion. Cook said it was one of his biggest projects at the time.
"He was the owner of a tile company, and he laid the tile for this floor," said Cook. "At the time, I think it was the biggest job that he had done, and we helped unload the heavy tile off the truck and set it on the floor for him. Yeah, every time we pull out of here, I think, you know, hey, Phil laid this tile, did this work right here."
Cook said that seeing one of his buddies, firefighter Phil Duke, fight a battle similar to the one Marion had done was difficult.
"I work with him part-time up here," he said. "I also worked underneath him and rode calls with him, and we also picked at each other and had some good times and had some bad times, but we all had fun doing our job."
Cook said his heart goes out to Duke's family.
"I can only imagine what they're going through, the family," said Cook. "We feel for the family because he's a dad and a grandfather and a husband, of course, so, just hope the best for him, just hope he isn't in pain."
Other firefighters shared the same message and said that these two guys have been dedicated to the jobs they do. They said that these two guys shaped the department people see today.
It is a tough time, and all the department can ask for is prayers.
"Just be in prayer for us, and everything, it's a rough time, our thoughts are with these families and everything," said Cook. "We look out after each other and when they're hurting, we're hurting too."