Castle Rock mourns loss of firefighter, EMT who died from sudden illness

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KDVR) — Castle Rock is mourning the loss of one of its firefighters and EMTs.

43-year-old, Andrew Koldeway, died Oct. 2 after a sudden struggle with bacterial meningitis, according to his obituary . Koldeway spent over two decades as a firefighter, most recently for the Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Department.

“This was a difficult day to say the least. Certainly, one of those unexpected events and we wanted to make sure that we honored Andrew in a way that any active-duty firefighter should be recognized,” said Chief Norris Croom. “This doesn’t end today, unfortunately. We need to make sure we take care of each other, today, tomorrow and in the future.”

Koldeway’s 1967 Chevy Corvette could be seen parked inside at his service on Friday, next to his uniform and family photos, as dozens of first responders from multiple Colorado agencies showed their support.

“Andrew was awesome. He was very passionate about his family, he was very passionate about his friends, specifically ‘the boys’ as he referred to them. He was passionate about cars,” said Croom. “He decided to join our pipes and drums band to be a snare drummer… At 43 years old, he was willing to learn something new that was hard. That’s the same thing he did in firefighting.”

Koldeway leaves behind his wife and four children. The chief says they will eventually make a memorial inside their department for Koldeway, similar to the late Jeff Dunn, who died in 2006.

“There’s a reason why we say never forget, we don’t. That’s the key. If we start forgetting, that’s when we start really losing those treasured memories and that’s not something we’re willing to do,” said Croom.

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