Remembering Tom Nichols' religious faith, dedication to his crews and love for his family, mourners packed Grant Memorial Baptist Church yesterday to shed tears and share chuckles about the captain who was killed Feb. 4 in a St. Boniface inferno.
Tears came to many of the more than 1,000 family members, friends and firefighters during prayers and when bagpiper Kevin Ross played Amazing Grace.
Emotions appeared to run the highest when Nichols' daughter, Kimberly Adams, struggled to wipe away tears and, at one point, told the crowd, "I can't see."
Joined near the altar by her husband, Matthew Adams, Kimberly said, "You were my north star who gave me direction and purpose.
"You would have made an excellent grandpa, who would have spoiled our baby to bits."
The family life and career of Nichols, a husband and father of two who died at 57 from injuries suffered fighting a house fire on Gabrielle Roy Place, were recalled in a photograph-video montage played to Mike and the Mechanics song In the Living Years.
The fire captain's skill as a carpenter was recognized by a hammer, tape measure and level placed on a table beside his photograph and in the words of fire service chaplain Mark Young.
"He was a man who went about his business diligently and was caring and thoughtful. On one occasion when he was acting captain, he went into his station and made sure his crew were well-fed and bought them all pizza. He was always thinking of others. Let us be reminded of that character in Tom."
His "hollow legs" when devouring fire station meals, his eagerness for card games and his diligence when woodworking -- even passing on carpentry tips to fellow crew members. They were all fondly recalled as his widow, Linda, sat near the front.
Kelly Nichols, the fire captain's son, found his voice breaking while remembering his father's hard work on the job and at home.
"I don't quite know yet what I'll do without him around. But I'll try my damndest to live up to being Tom Nichols' son. I'll always remember you as a friend. And when I have kids, they will know who their grandpa was -- one hell of a hard-working hero."
Like at last week's funeral for Harold Lessard, another fire captain killed by the same fireball, crew member Jason Buhr sang a tribute song he wrote the day after the tragedy.
"On that night, he was a leader who led from the front," Jim Brennan, acting chief of the Winnipeg Fire-Paramedic Service, said of Nichols. "He was a very, very brave firefighter."
Kimberly summed up the thoughts of many when she said, "I truly wish we could visit you at the hall again, even one more time.
"You were a truly special man, who will never be forgotten."
