"He loved his job, he loved the San Antonio Fire Department," said Mary Dennis, his wife. "I hope this doesn't sound crass, but he loved the money. He had this thing that men should work and take care of their families."

On Feb. 29, Dennis, 55, of Live Oak was true to his nature, opting to earn some OT rather than take time off. At work in Fire Station 40, he suffered a heart attack. Mary Dennis said there had been no warning that he was ill.

"Roger was available for work whenever he was needed and he never complained," Professional Firefighters Association President Christopher Steele said on Texas-Fire.com.

"The loss of Roger has created an irreplaceable void for the family of the San Antonio Fire Department," Fire Chief Charles Hood said. "He was a dedicated lifesaving professional who strived to protect the welfare of the citizens of San Antonio and will be truly missed by all."

Dennis was studying classical music at San Antonio College when he found his calling in the Fire Department. He stumbled into the job after having a conversation. The year was 1973.

"This old man said to him, 'Roger, why are you going to school?' And Roger responded, 'To make money,'" Mary Dennis, his wife of 31 years, recalled Thursday. "And the man said, 'This is your chance to do it, in the Fire Department.'"

It was a job he loved, and one that loved him back. But Dennis also liked to scour pawnshops, flea markets and yard sales for bargains, and could haggle with the best of them. Among the many items that filled his garage over the years, one friend said, were 50 or so guitars.

"He didn't play them that well," laughed retired paramedic and former work partner Charles "Squirrel" Wilson, 59, of San Antonio, "but he collected them."

Shopping was a diversion. His greatest joy, perhaps, came in taking his three grandchildren to breakfast on Saturdays, and reading his Bible between runs at the firehouse late at night.

"His faith and belief in Jesus Christ was very, very strong," Mary Dennis said.

"He would say many times we read stuff, but do we really believe? He was a man who really believed."