Captain William R. Hudson, 50, of the Salem, Massachusetts Fire Department died in the line of duty February 3, 2005 after a long struggle with Hepatitis C.
Hudson contracted the disease several years ago while on-duty and underwent a liver and kidney transplant in 2003, according to firefighter John O'Leary of the Salem Fire Department and head of the Local 172.
After a period of recovery his blood tests began to show that his liver and other organs were still being attacked by the disease and that there was not enough time for another transplant. He was given a timetable in January 2005 of four months.
"He worked right up to the end, his last day was in mid-December [2004]," O'Leary said. "The disease was too far advanced by the time he had recovered from his last transplant and there was not enough time to arrange another. He was a great guy, very caring. He kept to himself but he was very meticulous about his work, he did his job with pride and kept everyone else in line."
Hudson is a native of Salem. He joined the department in 1980, was promoted to Lieutenant in 1993, and to Captain in 1995. After his liver and kidney transplant in 2003 he spent some time working in fire prevention and as a Fire Marshall.
Funeral Arrangements: The funeral for Captain William R. Hudson took place Tuesday, February 8.
