CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Marco Solis, also known by many simply as Marc, lost his battle with cancer. Many in this community considered Mark a hero.
Over a hundred loved ones all came together to celebrate the life of the fallen firefighter.
Police and fire departments from across the Coastal Bend and as far away as California also joined to pay their respects.
“You know, any room that he walked in, Marc lightened up that room. No matter if someone was having a bad day or things were not going right, you knew that Marc would make everything better,” said Billy Belyeu, Corpus Christi's Assistant Fire Chief.
Solis served 23 years with the Corpus Christi Fire Department.
Nearly 2 years ago, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. A common cancer found among firefighters, but that did not stop him from still wanting to help others.
“He had a huge impact not just on firefighters and the community. He was always there to help when he could and really helped the Corpus Christi Fire Department cater to the cancer awareness relief efforts in the last two years. He did everything he could,” said Carlos Torres, former president of the firefighter’s association.
Solis left behind a wife, four children, his mother, and many firefighter brothers and sisters.
During the service, one of his daughters shared how he was and always will be her hero, inspiration, and best friend.
“You know he put his best foot forward, even while he was battling cancer for over a few years. Every day he showed up, you could not tell that he was sick. He was not looking for any pity. He put his best foot forward every day, and he was always positive,” said Belyu.
Fire chief Brandon Wade says during a time when most would retreat, Solis pushed through while also giving energy, time and talents to the people in the community he loved.
