Final Goodbye For Fallen Firefighter
By Jim Melwert, Walt Hunter and Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Family, friends, and hundreds of fellow firefighters gathered today to say their final goodbyes to a Philadelphia fire captain killed in the line of duty.
Michael Goodwin was remembered as a devoted husband and father, as well as a dedicated firefighter who took a no-nonsense approach to the job he loved.
Jerry Peters, a longtime friend and colleague who worked on the front lines with Goodwin, remembers him as "just a straight shooter. You knew where he stood on everything. He didn't hold anything back. And sometimes you hear about people like that and it's not an attribute. But it was an attribute with him. He was a straight shooter, honest, just an awesome guy."
PHOTOS: Remembering Fire Captain Michael Goodwin
The service took place at St. Michael's Lutheran Church on East Cumberland Street in Kensington, Goodwin's spiritual home for more than 40 years. It's the place where he was married and his kids were baptized.
Goodwin has been posthumously promoted to the rank of battalion chief. He was laid to rest at Hillside Cemetery, in Roslyn, Pa.
Representatives from fire departments from around the country were present early Thursday morning for a viewing for Goodwin at the Givnish Funeral Home in Northeast Philadelphia.
Goodwin, a veteran of 29 years, died Saturday while battling a fire in the city's Queen Village neighborhood (see related story).
It was an emotional scene yesterday as Goodwin's casket was brought to the Givnish Funeral Home with leaders of the Philadelphia Fire Department leading a procession along Academy Road.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Captain Goodwin's memory to the Firefighters Widow Fund, c/o Local 22, 415 N. 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, would be appreciated.
