A celebration of life: Honoring the life of missing JFRD firefighter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It's been more than two months since the U.S. Coast Guard called off the search for Jacksonville firefighter Brian McCluney and Virginia firefighter Justin Walker.

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In August, Action News Jax reported the two friends left for a fishing trip out of Port Canaveral and never returned.

For seven days, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, and hundreds of volunteers searched for McCluney and Walker. Their efforts covered nearly 150,000 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I cannot give enough gratitude," McCluney's wife, Stephanie, said.

On Friday, Stephanie McCluney and her family held a celebration of life service to honor Brian McCluney and his service with JFRD. It was open to the public and held at North Jacksonville Baptist Church.

"It was tough for me. It's been tough for those men and women at Fire Station 31 that served with Brian," JFRD interim Chief Keith Powers said. "It's been tough for this entire department."

Dozens of local firefighters, police city and state leaders showed up in support of McCluney's family. Powers said the room was filled with tears, followed by love and laughter.

"Brian touched a lot of people," Powers said. "He touched me personally. This incident touched me personally and it just changed my outlook on life and it's all because of Brian and Stephanie and that family.

McCluney's family friends created an online fundraiser to support his family, which can be found here.

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Cox Media Group