It's a gloomy day in the small town of Remsen as community members mourn the loss of one of their own.
"He would give the shirt off his back if you asked for it. He was always willing to help, to chip it in. He cared," said Kevin's friend Rachel Keffeler.
Kevin Ortmann lost his battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma at the age of 40.
"He's going to be missed on a personal and professional level in town," said Keffeler.
He served on the volunteer fire department and was the chief before being diagnosed with cancer. He also was a part of the EMS service and was the Remsen Public Works Director.
"When he was the fire chief he always had everything ready to go and always trained and he was ready to go," said Remsen Police Chief Mike Sparr.
His fellow firefighters say his size 16 boots will be hard to fill.