Lawrence Riley was a bear of a man who was brought down by coronavirus.
The 66-year-old retired firefighter died last week after a three-day stay at Froedtert Hospital, where he'd been admitted for respiratory failure and tested positive for COVID-19. He died of complications from the virus on March 19, making him the first Milwaukee victim of the disease.
"He was an iron man," recalled his son, Elvaughn Riley.
A Navy Vietnam veteran who joined the Milwaukee Fire Department in 1978, Riley severely injured his back when he fell through the roof of a building, his son said. He retired in 1990.
The injury limited his ability to fight fires or continue playing golf. He'd been a member of an all-black golfing group, his son said.
He remained active, serving as a father figure for many of the boys in his Sherman Park neighborhood.