READING, Pa.- Funeral arrangements are set for longtime member of the Reading fire department and former chief, Bill Rehr. Following his sudden passing on Sunday those close to him are reflecting on his life.

“I got a call from his son, Deputy Chief Tom Rehr, on Sunday midday and I can’t tell you how I felt,” says Richard Boyer.

Boyer is saying goodbye to his longtime friend Bill who died Sunday unexpectedly at the age of 84.

“It is hard and it will be hard,” says Boyer, who also was a former chief in Reading and served alongside Rehr on the Reading Fire Museum’s board of directors.

Rehr was active in the fire service in Reading for more than 65 years of his life with the last 20 plus years spent in the Reading Fire museum sharing his experience and knowledge of history.

“He always loved history,” says Boyer. “You could ask him any question, not only about fires but the city itself.”

Reading City Council president and Rehr’s neighbor, Donna Reed says he made history come alive. “He was able to personalize history so people not only heard the facts but he could make people experience it by his narrative,” says Reed.

Boyer recalls their time early in the fire service and reflects on some close calls, including their response to a gas explosion in Oakbrook.

“Walking across the second floor just another 15-20 feet the whole front wall came out onto the street from the peak of the roof to the foundation and injured the chief of the department and several firemen that day,” recalls Boyer.

He remembers Rehr as always very calm and professional and he cherishes the time the two spent working on what they loved over the decades.

“Bill and I spent a couple months putting the 40th anniversary of the YMCA fire together and it was sort of one of the last things we did together of any consequence and I was so glad we had that opportunity,” says Boyer.

“That kind of legacy is hard to come by and Chief Rehr deserves every accolade any of us can give him,” says Reed.

Folks can pay their respects at Kuhn Funeral Home in West Reading on Sunday from 3:00 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 and again on Monday from 9:30 until 11:00 am.

That will be followed by a prayer service at 11:00 at the Funeral home.