PRESCOTT - Prescott Fire Chief Bill Lawrence died of cancer at age 58 on Friday evening in his home near Prescott.
"It's going to be a difficult time for a while," said Deputy Fire Chief Mike Lawrence, his brother. "He was well known in the community in his job and in the fire department…. We will definitely miss him."
Lawrence said his brother's cancer had begun as colon cancer, and he underwent chemotherapy and radiation during the past few years but revealed little to those around him. "He was a very private person."
"We are all in shock today," Prescott Mayor Suzanne Dodge said Saturday, hours after hearing of Lawrence's death. "It's a huge loss to the community... He has been our fire chief for almost four decades."
Dodge described Lawrence as "fiercely loyal to the town, the residents and his men."
"We will miss him," said the mayor. "Right to the end, he fought for what he believed in."
The volunteer fire chief worked until recent weeks, even making the department's budget presentation to council on Jan. 28.
He had also continued to work full-time in his paid job at Rideau St. Lawrence Distribution, the public utility company where he had been a long-term, dedicated employee.
Lawrence leaves behind his wife, Karen, and two sons, Justin and Tyler, who both live in the Prescott area.
"Our deepest thoughts go to Karen and the family," Dodge said.
"It's a tremendous loss to the community," said Councillor Brett Todd, who became friends with the chief in recent years. "His dedication to the town was a strong as you could possibly imagine."
"The one incredible thing was how much he fought," Todd said. "He worked until the end. He fought for every moment."
Even while giving his budget presentation weeks ago, Lawrence was chipper and making jokes, Todd said. "He was a strong person, with a good sense of humour. He ran a tight ship. He was in control and strong."
Firefighter Lorne Watling has served on the Prescott Fire Department with Lawrence for the past 35 years and said Lawrence had served almost 40 years.
"He was a great chief," Watling said. "It's a major loss for the town."
"He was demanding, he was fair, he was always worried about the people," Watling said. "He had a really good sense of humour and he loved to tease."
Lawrence was always concerned that the department acted and appeared professional and "that the town got the best."
"Everyone in the department is just devastated. It's a major loss. He was a rock."
Mike Lawrence said funeral arrangements for his brother have not yet been finalized.
Bill Lawrence was a life-long resident of the Prescott area. He attended South Grenville District High School in his youth.