PORTAGE, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Portage firefighters are dealing with the loss of one of their own.

Brad Wilson died Monday after a battle with stage three lung cancer, which he was diagnosed with six months previously. Doctors say the cancer was caused by exposure to asbestos.

On Friday, Wilson's friends and family came together to remember him.

56-year-old Brad Wilson spent 25 years with the Portage Fire Department, making lifelong friends who say that even if his death wasn't unexpected, it isn't easy to take.

"I'll miss Brad's smiling face and the love for him," said Captain Rick Nason of the Portage Fire Department, "he was very special to me, my kids called him uncle Brad."

Captain Nason says just about everybody knew Wilson.

"Many people will recognize Brad, if not by the name, by the face," said Nason, "he's the guy with the handlebar mustache."

The mustache is a recognizable sight throughout the Portage Fire Department, it was the mark Wilson put on wood projects he made by hand, like a shelf in the lobby with firefighter axes for braces.

Wilson leaves behind a wife and three adult daughters, and countless friends and members of his firefighter family.

"Brad touched many lives out in the field, but the most important thing he did was give back to the community," said Captain Nason.

Family and friends have asked that donations in Wilson's memory be made to the Great Lakes Burn Camp.