WATERBURY, Conn. — Waterbury firefighters lost a 26-year veteran of their department, town Fire Chief Terrence Ballou said in a release Monday.
According to Ballou, Fire Driver Joseph Bogdanski Jr., of Bristol, an active member of the department, passed away. His obituary states that he died suddenly at the age of 54 on May 8.
In addition to his service with the fire department, Bogdanski was a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and had previously served as the secretary of the Waterbury Fire Fighters Association (WFFA), Local 1339, for "the past 12 years," Ballou said.
According to his obituary, he was honored as Firefighter of the Year in 2005 and 2008 and was awarded numerous medals and ribbons in the Navy.
Bogdanski was also a board member of the Children's Burn Camp, Ballou said, which is a "safe, natural outdoor environment for kids ages 8 to 17 from around the world who have survived life-altering burn injuries," according to the Connecticut Burns Care Foundation.
He also served as a chair of fundraising efforts for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the WFFA liaison to the Waterbury Veteran's Committee.
"His greatest passion in life was his family," Bogdanski's obituary said.
Services will be held at the O'Brien Funeral Home in Bristol from 3-7 p.m. on Thursday and at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury at 10 a.m. on Friday.
Multiple town fire departments posted their condolences on Facebook, including Hartford, Naugatuck, East Hartford, IAFF Local S-15 CT State Firefighters, IAFF Local S-15, and UConn Fire Rescue, Station 122 - Farmington.
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