Bedford firefighters are getting ready to give their lieutenant a final salute.
Lieutenant James Clark died Saturday night at his Goffstown home about 12 hours after a busy shift, reports indicated.
Bedford Fire Chief Scott Wiggin told a Bedford Patch reporter that Clark was a health addict.
confirmed to Bedford Patch that Clark, 56, was found around 7 p.m. He left work for the day roughly 12 hours earlier.
"Basically, at this time, it's an untimely death. There's been no ruling on it at this point, and an investigation is being done as we speak," he said. "It doesn't appear that this was anything of a suspicious nature.
The chief added: "He was a great runner, fit as a fiddle, probably one of the fittest members of this department. He'd run from the Goffstown/Dunbarton line, where his farm is located, all the way into work and be here before 7 a.m. and look like he just rolled out of bed."
Clark coached track at Mount Zion Christian Academy in Manchester.
"He really enjoyed being outside, farming, raising animals and working the land his family had in Goffstown," Wiggin told the reporter. "He was a good guy, and he will definitely be missed."
Clark, who began his career with the Goffstown Fire Department prior to coming to Bedford 26 years ago, leaves behind two daughters, Stephanie, 20, and Allison, 16.
Visitation and funeral arrangements: A Firefighter Walkthrough will take place Monday from 3-4 p.m. at the French and Rising Funeral Home, 17 So. Mast Street, Goffstown, NH
Public visitation hours will be held Monday from 5-9 p.m. Funeral services will be held Tuesday 1 p.m.at Bethany Covenant Church in Bedford, NH. Burial will follow at Westlawn Cemetery in Goffstown, NH. In lieu of flowers donations may be made Mt. Zion Christian Schools or Bedford Professional Firefighters Association.
