Firefighters celebrate life of ‘awesome’ colleague who died of cancer

Hundreds of firefighters from Atlanta Fire Rescue and other metro jurisdictions gathered Friday to pay one final tribute to a former colleague and friend.

Funeral services were held at Cathedral of Christ the King in Buckhead for Frank Martinez, who died early Tuesday of cancer at age 45. 

Read and sign the online guestbook for Frank Martinez

“Frank said, ‘I’m just a dude who got cancer,’” Capt. Greg Wise, a 26-year Atlanta veteran, said at the services. “That’s not true. He’s one awesome dude. Today will show you how awesome he was.

“Everyone that came into contact with him loved him.”

In November, a convoy carried Martinez, a six-year veteran of the department, from a Newnan cancer treatment center to his home in Forsyth County, where he received hospice care until he died.

Martinez worked with the department’s Squad 4, which is the technical rescue unit based on Edgewood Avenue.

Frank Martinez

“We came out today as a celebration of life for Frank,” Assistant Chief Chris Wessels said. “It was a beautiful setting and a beautiful service to honor his legacy.

“Frank had a way of making you feel good about yourself.”

Capt. Chip Newell from Squad 4 remembered Martinez as a “family man. He worked two jobs to be able to provide for his wife and two boys.”

Newell said Martinez made everyone, either civilians or other firefighters, feel at home in the firehouse.

“He had the passion and he had the drive,” Newell said. “He was the kind of guy who you’d want to come get you if you were trapped in a fire.”