NEW YORK — Family, friends and members of the FDNY gathered on Long Island on Wednesday to say their last goodbyes to firefighter Jesse Gerhard, who died last week.

Gerhard's funeral was held at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Bay Shore Wednesday afternoon. His wake took place Tuesday in his hometown of Islip. 

“Jesse always wanted to be a firefighter. There was never a plan B,” Michael Ormiston, a firefighter who worked with Gerhard, said during service on Wednesday.

“At the tender age of only two, Jesse would strut around the house with his grandfather’s hat,” Acting Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said.

“I can’t explain how proud I am of you. You lived out your dreams,” said Kristi Gerhard, Jesse’s sister-in-law. 

That dream was cut short, though. The 33 year-old firefighter collapsed at his Far Rockaway firehouse last week. He suffered a medical episode one day after battling a two-alarm fire. 

“This is a gut punch for me, for our firehouse, for the department,” said Ormiston. 

There has not been an official ruling from the medical examiners office yet on Gerhard’s cause of death. Union head Andrew Ansbro said this loss causes concern and he wants all members to undergo health screenings to determine the long-term effects of COVID, similar to health screenings conducted after September 11. 

“Everybody on this job has been exposed to COVID. The vast majority have contracted COVID,” said Ansbro, the president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association. “Some of these members haven’t had medicals in two or three years.”

Gerhard will continue to save lives, even in death. His family chose to make a tissue donation. According to LiveOnNY, the not for profit that handles organ donations, Gerhard’s donation has the potential to impact 50-75 people.

At a news briefing held after his passing last week, Mayor Eric Adams described the seven-year FDNY veteran as “a young man that dreamed to be a firefighter all his life.” 

“The entire city mourns for the loss of this firefighter,” Adams said. “Jesse’s not coming home, and that’s the reality that the family is facing.”