Paul Holmes Jr., 37, an EMS worker who lived for family

Four-year-old Alexandra, or Lexi, was his little “monkey.” It was a moniker he had given her because of the funny things she did with her feet as an infant.

Lexi was a miracle baby, born 10 weeks premature, Mrs. Holmes said. She was a preemie who not only survived, but thrived.

“The doctors didn’t give her much of a chance, but she’s absolutely perfect,” said Holmes’ best friend, K.M. Bolognini of Melbourne, Fla.

“That kid made his life. He lived for her,” Mr. Bolognini added.

To remember those difficult newborn days, Mr. Holmes had a picture of Lexi’s tiny feet tattooed on his leg, his wife said.

To Mr. Holmes, family mattered most, friends said. When he and Jamie married five years ago he sold his beloved motorcycle, bought a sensible car and became more focused on the future, they said. “He grew into himself and became what he was supposed to be,” Mr. Bolognini said.

Mr. Holmes worked overtime shifts with the Douglas County Fire/EMS Department so his wife could stay home with their daughter, friends said. He wanted to take them on vacations and give them a nice life, said Sgt. Dwayne Bennett, a friend and colleague who works as a Douglas County firefighter. The two worked the same shift at Station 1 in Lithia Springs.

Mr. Holmes was saving for a family trip to Disney World in February, Mr. Bennett said.

Paul Douglas Holmes Jr., 37, died Monday at Grady Memorial Hospital from injuries suffered in a wreck. The paramedic was riding in an ambulance responding to a vehicle fire when the ambulance collided with a car and overturned, authorities said.

A funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the First Baptist Church of Douglasville, 5900 Prestley Mill Road in Douglasville. Whitley-Garner at Rosehaven Funeral Home in Douglasville is in charge of arrangements.

Mr. Holmes was born July 23, 1972, in Miami. He grew up there, and also in Melbourne, said his wife. He studied emergency services at Brevard Community College, where he attended classes with Mr. Bolognini.

His initial career goal was to study nursing and eventually become a physician’s assistant, his friends said. But once he got into fire services that became his passion, said Mr. Bolognini, who also is a firefighter and paramedic.

Mrs. Holmes said her husband just wanted to be “a big teddy bear” for those in need. He wanted to make people happy, she said.

“When he could bring happiness to somebody something inside of him came alive,” said Mr. Holmes’ sister-in-law Crystal Gilbert of Palm Bay, Fla.

After moving his family to Georgia three years ago, Mr. Holmes first worked for a private ambulance service and then took a job with the Douglas County Fire/EMS Department in May 2008.

Mrs. Holmes said her husband’s goal for 2009 was to graduate from the fire academy and become a certified firefighter, which he did in early December.

“The look on his face at graduation was priceless,” she said. “He had that same look the day of our wedding and when our daughter was born.”

Other survivors include his parents, Jane and Paul Holmes Sr., and sister Ruth Holmes, all of Dallas, Ga.