By FireRescue1 Staff
DALLAS — After a three-year battle with ALS, veteran Dallas firefighter Tracy Beard died this week. He was considered a mentor at his fire station.
“He said, ‘If anybody was to get ALS, it’s good that it was me,” Beard’s brother, Clint, told FOX4. “And he said that because of the network that he had through the fire department, softball organization, that community, he knew that they would support him and see him through.”
Beard, a 26-year veteran of the Dallas Fire Department, spent much of his time off coaching softball and helping his players go to college.
“He wasn’t just a coach. He was also a fatherly figure,” Beard’s father, Blaire, said. “He helped get college scholarships for so many girls.”
Memorial services for Beard will be held Wednesday, and his funeral will be held Thursday, according to Dallas Fire Firefighters Association Auxiliary.