Colorado firefighter and father of 4 dies from meningitis

One Colorado community is mourning a first responder. Andrew Koldeway of Bennett died on Oct. 2 after a sudden and severe illness. He leaves behind a wife and four children. Tragically, what started as a minor medical issue became a case of bacterial meningitis and took Koldeway's life in a matter of days. He was 43 years old.

There's now an empty cubby at Castle Rock Fire and Rescue.

"It's tough, yeah it's tough," Castle Rock Fire Chief Norris Croom said. "He ended up with a case of bacterial meningitis that caused a number of different systemic issues within his body, and within just a couple of days he ended up passing away from those challenges."

The sudden loss of Koldeway has left the community in shock.

"We saw him on one day and the next day he wasn't. And that's difficult for everybody," Croom said.

Koldeway had been a firefighter for 21 years at the time of his death. He got his dream job when he joined the Castle Rock Fire Department in February 2023.

He leaves behind a young family.

"His wife, with a 10-year-old, a 5-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 1-year-old. And that's gonna be a challenge for them going forward, but as part of our family, we're gonna make sure that they're taken care of just as well as we can possibly provide for them," Croom said.

Last week, Koldeway was laid to rest with a funeral procession.

"We had a procession from the funeral home through Castle Rock, past Station 151, then back up to his home Station 152 and then back up to the church," Croom said.

According to Koldeway's obituary, he loved baseball, cars and, above all, his family.

The Castle Rock Professional Firefighter's Foundation is collecting donations to support Koldeway's family. They've raised over $40,000 as of Monday morning. The money will cover funeral and medical expenses, as well as day-to-day needs.

Matt Osborn, president of Castle Rock Professional Firefighters Local 4116 told CBS News Colorado, "Andrew was a loving husband and dedicated to his craft of being a Castle Rock firefighter. We will always miss him and his passion to help anyone he encountered."