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San Luis firefighter Robert M. Fernandez honored and remembered with special ceremony in Yuma

Sunrise reporter Melissa Zaremba attended the ceremony and saw many locals come together to remember the beloved man

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) — A San Luis firefighter whose life was cut short due to COVID-19 honored by the entire community.

Family, friends and loved ones came together to honor and pay their respects to Robert M. Fernandez.

Fernandez was a beloved San Luis firefighter who died on February 5.

His brother shared with us some of his most fond memories.

“He just wanted to make a great impact on everybody he just wanted to bring happiness and smile onto everyone’s face and that’s what I loved about my brother he always wanted to just provide for the community,” said brother and city of Yuma’s firefighter Anthony Fernandez.

Fernandez served in the San Luis fire department for about 3 years and was working towards becoming a paramedic.

“He was just a great and loving person and like I said just wanted to make people happy and wanted to make a positive impact on everyone’s life that he touched and wanted to see what he could do to make everybody’s life better,” said Fernandez.

It’s tough to say goodbye but the memories will always be cherished.

“He was a great firefighter for the community for the organization and I wish a lot of the people from Yuma county would have met the person that I hired for the San Luis fire department. Robert was hardworking, very giving, and most of all very respectful,” said San Luis Fire Chief Angel Ramirez.

So many locals came together to celebrate a great life.

“Just want to make sure he got the services he deserved, he sacrificed for the community and gave the biggest sacrifice he gave his life, I’m proud of my brother, I’m happy, not happy he ended up here but I’m happy he served the time he did and followed my footsteps,” said Fernandez.

Robert was a loving dad, son, brother and friend.

Fernandez's family says he will forever be missed but never forgotten within the Yuma community.

He was just 32-years-old.

Our hearts are with Robert's family, friends and we thank him for all the sacrifices and bravery he showed while serving our community.

Article Topic Follows: Local News

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Melissa Zaremba

Melissa Zaremba joined KYMA in November 2021 and is the Chief Weather Forecaster.

If you have a story idea or want to share any weather pictures with Melissa, you can email her at melissa.zaremba@kecytv.com.

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