PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WVEC) -- An honorary firefighter in Chesapeake, Portsmouth, and Suffolk suddenly passed away Tuesday.
"I felt like I lost a family member," explained David English. "Stuart was just that close to me."
39-year-old Stuart Hare was born with Spina Bifida and hydrocephalus, but that never stopped him from being a part of the public safety community.
"He could tell you transfers within the service,” said English. "He could tell you what calls you went on that day. He could tell you anything you want to know about the cities or the city you were in."
Every single day, Hare would call multiple stations across Hampton Roads and ask what's going on.
"He called every city every day and everyone was a slacker. He would say have you talked to any slackers today. We would call him the head, because it was like he was in charge of us all."
Loved ones say Stuart's passing is shocking. His friends say he was someone you could tell a secret to, and he would never repeat it. They say Stuart was like family for everyone who knew him.
"Stuart was just someone who truly cared about everybody and from supporting us to making your day that was just Stuart," English said.
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help with funeral expenses.