hand gliding, kayaking and there was a time when his polish blood kicked in and decided he wanted to learn how to play the accord i don't know. (please stand by for a change in captioners. ) all i saw was a flash of hands, and all of a sudden this poor guy was laying flat on his back saying what the what? it was the way tony reacted. that's the way tony was, he was reacted. i was also amazed at some of the girls that tony knew. they all seemed pretty nice. when i knew tony when he was younger, he was the kind of guy

that walked around with the pocket protector and the glasses. and i thought, you're a geek but you're my brother so i have to love you. and one of the encounters tony and i had we were walking down westboro boulevard and we decided to take a shortcut. so i started sinking into the mud and i was sinking more and more. and i said, tony you better go and go to the fire station and get help. so i kept sinking and sinking. and they finally got there, and all i lost was a shoe. and all i kept thinking was my mother is going to be mad.

she is going to have to buy me new shoes. and one time we were learning how to surf. and he had the short wet suit and the 6-foot surfboard. and i had the long wet suit and the 9-foot surfboard. and i thought, why would i have the long board? i also thought why do i have the long board? i fried that out for a while, it didn't quite work.

and tony was very trusting. i think my brother will live in the hearts of anyone who came in contact with him. friends and coworkers and the thousands of people that he probably met and hundreds that he saved while serving this great city. i think the best way you could could want to live life like my brother, you whether go explore and eat food you never tried. his funny little walk, the fact that he was always late because he didn't care. we missed his laugh and stories of work and his travel. as long as you remember tony, he will never be gone. thank you.

>> our next speaker will be long time friend, bryan haguer. >> thank you very much. today we have come together to celebrate the lives and remember two very special firefighters. i'm here to tell you about my best friends of 31 years tony valerio. i'm still absolutely stunned that this tragedy has happened and wish it were only a prolonged dream from which i will awaken. three days before this terrible fire i dropped tony off at the san diego airport around 6:00 a.m. not in my wildest nightmares could i have imagined that when

we shook hands and embraced in our usual bro hug that it would be the last time i would see tony alive. he had spent another memorial day weekend with my family at the rented beach house for the annual crawfish broil. an event that he flew or drive down to every year to hang out, party, enjoy the ocean and pay tribute cajun style to the soldiers who have sacrificed. we did not say goodbye, we said we'll see you later. tony had already made plans to meet up in vegas to celebrate my 50th birthday. that day has not arrived, but it will sadly without tony.

we were both a couple of rookies armed with more braun than knowledge and too young to know how much we didn't know. tony had a passion for the job. and he was a naturally talented people person. he could walk into a chaotic situation, defuse the emotion fireworks, pick up the pieces, and bring both sanity and levity to an otherwise intention and chaotic call. he was the best part of many people's worse days. his smile was infection. we worked seamlessly together, and often joked that the paycheck, what little there was of it was just a bonus. we got to hang out for 16 hours a day, drive around town, waste a tank of gas.

but it never felt like work, it was a mission. we were buddies off the job as well. we volunteered at the brock medic so we could get into rock concerts for free. several times a month we would go scuba dive, hunt abalone and bike up and down the hills of san francisco until our legs burned from the lactic acid. then we would hit the hunan cafe. it was a lot of fun. tony was a curious george. he would become interested in so many different activities and pursuits that at times it was difficult to keep up with them all. he took a liking to my dad who's a master craftman, machinist and pilot. he would come over and learn everything he could from my

dad. my dad let him fly over the pacific ocean near santa cruz. those experiences would later inspire tony to become a glider pilot, without the watchful eye of a pilot instructor. he would visit my mom, sometimes for hours just making sure he was okay. most recently he thought her the fine art of sour dough bread making. we never parted ways as friends and continue to meet up for ski trips, scuba diving adventures, hawaii cruises and major events of my family. tony has always been a part of my family. my mom called him her third son. he was the groomsman in both of my weddings and has been uncle tony to my kids since they can

remember. watching them grow up and watching them take an interest in their activities. those of you who have had the good fortune of knowing tony. if you spent any time with them, i have to say you became a better person for him. you couldn't help but laugh a lot more, stress a lot less of whatever had been heavy on your mind. personally he has always been good therapy for my and my family. he was a stand up guy. i often told people if i should ever need a kidney transplant because he would give me one without hesitation and at the same time come up with a joke such as a kidney bean, or kidney bean pie or kidney

shaped pools. tony could have been a comedian, i imagine him hosting a ambulance adventures with tony valerio. it would have been great. all of you who know tony know his humor was off beat but often spot on. he left you wondering, did he really just say that. he was in case in point. tony and i were in the baggage claim waiting for our luggage to approach. two attractive women were standing by. our bags plopped on, but the girl's luggage failed to show up. tony looked over at them, squared up his lips like this. rolled his eye toward one eyebrow and said, wow, how

often do you see that? women without baggage? tony was a master at the . the girls gave them a smile. he got he would make your day better. he just wanted to enjoy life, help everyone who needed it and make a good friend. we learned that we had many acquaintances but far fewer true friends. i'm sure i'm not the only one that can say, tony was my one true friend. have you seen the dos x

commercial with the most interesting man in the world. tony should have taken that spot. he had the longest bucket list i have every known. he was a fluent french speaker, he was a chicken farmer in the city. we always knew he had a way with the chicks. he cultivated bamboo and was a member of the bamboo society. i said before he was a glider pilot, scuba diver. he had logged so many hours that he gave up track of how long he had ever been down. he was a master sour dough bread baker that would giver budan a run for their money. in 2009 he came over for a visit yet he had no luggage. his luggage had been kept by

tsa for 24 hours. while a sour dough was tested. my wife and i continue to bake with that sour dough starter every week. he did a tour through france with his wife helen on bicycles. tony was a, a runner, an avid runner. it was not unusual to be driving across the golden gate bridge and pass him by. he would be the one in the short shorts, and the down jacket running through the fog. he loved red wine and can tell you pretty much anything you wanted to know about wine in the napa valley. he was also a gourmet chef, and i hate to burst anybody's bubble. but on memorial day weekend we were sitting in my kitchen

talking about dinner about how to sacrifice his chickens for some cocovan. tony was the speedo poster child. who knew, if you would take a look at his facebook page you will see a picture of him in a speedo next to tickle me elmo. he was a sailor, he read chapman cover to cover and could navigate without a gps device. tony was a skier but of course he would wear a hawaii shirt, shorts and flip-flops, covered by a downed jacket on the way to the mountains. i thought he was a professional tanner when we first got together. he would lube up with solai number number two, i was surprised to find out his butt

was whiter than mine. . tony was a hiker. this was the few times you would see him wearing closed toe shoes. tony was a biker. tony was a hand radioer. i didn't know these things still existed. tony was a gun enthusiasts. he loved new wave music and loved to dance. the guy would dance in flip- flops and a fanny pack, you had to see it to believe it. and anybody that knows tony knows that he was a world traveler. he was absolutely fearless and would go any where. he's been to india, japan, all of europe most of central america and he's made friends in every one of those countries.

he crashed in the couches of numerous families he came across everywhere he made. i don't think he ever made hotel reservations before going to any of these destinations. he would just go and figure out things when he got there. they always worked out great. i will end with, tony my dear friend. my family and i say thank you for your friendship, the love, the great times and the laughter over the last three decades. it is with profound sadness that we say goodbye. we love you, and though our lives will never be quite as fun, you will live forever in all of our hearts. you are the most unique, the kindest, and most caring person we have ever had the privilege

of knowing. thank you for being such an influential part of our family. we will miss you. you left us way too soon. the best ones always do. bonn so bon voyage as you begin your next adventure. aloha. >> we're going to have some recollections now from the perez family. and marilin perez will be our first speaker.

hello everyone. i want to thank you all for coming to honor my brother vincent perez and anthony valerio. true heros. i also want to thank the community at large in san francisco for your love and support. there's been an outpowering of support that's really touched my heart. it's helped us get through this difficult time, i assure you. i grew up in this city and yesterday i was so touched to have friends from third and fourth grade who didn't know vince very well but they knew

he was my brother, and they were here for me. they came here from st. charles. they said yeah we used to be crossing guards together in st. charles. i had people come from st. paul's elementary school where i went to elementary. i went to high school here in cathedral high school. i had friends come to support me in the loss of my brother. and i also had friends from the mission who showed up in support of me. thank you so much. i want to start with a quote from howard thurmon. don't ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and do it. because what the world needs is people to come alive. my brother tito did doing what made him come alive. he got a great deal of joy and fulfillment from being a man of

service. he was a man of service his entire life. as a loyal brother, uncle, and home boy. he was a alameda police, and ultimately a firefighter. he did all of those with a sense of pride and honor, not a sense of obligation. it was his choice. he was the best of the best. a very, very confident loving being. he chose to dedicate his life first to his family and friends, and then as his spirit evolved he reached out even further and then to humanity as a whole where he worked as a humble servant as i said his entire life. he always gave his all whatever he was doing. he lived in the now. not regretting the past, or thinking of the future. but rather giving his undivided attention to what he was doing

at any given moment. i think that is why as you're senior lieutenant and boss, he needed to distance himself a bit from the rest of the crew. i understand this well, as i serve in the military. and i was thought in the military many years ago, a sense of professionism that helped me in the many years that followed. in basic training my drill sergeant chose me to be in charge of the 58 women in my flight and within two days after observing me, she called me into her office and chewed me out. she said, perez, are you here to make friends or become a leader because i'm trying to mentor a strong leader. she told me that i should distance myself from the other women or i may not be able to lead them successfully in the time of crisis and it would be a disservice to them. i am telling you all of this

because i have seen the love and longing in some of your eyes who have worked under him. who reported directly to him. who wanted to know him better as a friend. because he was a man of few words at work, truly a great leader and a man of action, some of you loved him so and wonder if he loved you back. well, i am here to tell you, yes, he did. he had a huge capacity for love. and a big heart, he was actually a very romantic, loving, nurturing and sensitive man. he eloped when he got married. you would know tito loved you by the way he looked at you. by the way he treated you, if he went out of his way for you. with a smile, or the sparkle in his eyes when he saw you. i hope that offers some of you in the fire department some

comfort in grieving the loss of your beloved benny. one of my precious memories of my brother was a few years ago when i was at my mother's house in the kitchen with her visiting and i heard, oh, my goodness. you are so cute. look at how cute you are, you are such a good dog. you are my favorite. a few seconds had passed then i would hear it again. oh, my goodness, you are so cute. look at how cute you are. you are such a good dog. you are my favorite. i peeked around the corner, and there he was with his litter of puppies in front seat of him in the living room. and he looked up casually and

said, hey marline. and finished his ritual. picking up, and expressing his love to each and every puppy in the same way. i hope my brother's legacy of practicing toward loving kindness of all can be an example for us and a catalyst for change. i myself choose to see this as an opportunity to love and allow myself to be loved in a greater capacity. i ask myself now, who do i need to forgive that i have not forgiven, how can i be of service, am i making myself available to love and or to be loved? if even one of you will do the same we can start to bring some balance to this world filled with war, crime, violence and prejudice. thank you all.

our next speaker is vinny's brother, sergeant alex perez. >> first i need to give some acknowledge to some people that have been tremendous to our family. the oakland police department assistant chief of police and dear friend of mine, numerous car chases arrests, you had my back in the beginning, you have it now, howard jordan. if you're out there, thank you for everything. oakland police department, chief tony bass if you're here. thank you so much for your love. words can't express what you guys did. let me tell you in this time of

crisis, lieutenant vincent perez would be glad they sent opd motors to take care of his mom. he told me alex, we don't care where she lives, we have her gate to gate. wherever she goes, we have your mom. so on behalf of vincent perez, opd motors, thanks a lot. i'm kind of like my brother, i don't talk a lot. i'm a quiet guy. i'm kind of breaking that code right now and i just thought something funny because chief joanne hayes, tremendous to our family. and i was sitting here thinking, you know what, vincent would agree with me right now, right now she can be chief joanne hayes perez. thank you so much, wherever you

are. to engine 26, i've heard it called different things but i just like engine 26. you guys have been great. and the highest compliment i can give you is recently my brother and i talked about how bad we would like to be on co team six. we spoke about them and thought, can you imagine being on that mission. so you know what, vince had his own co team six, engine 26. thank you so much. there's been a couple of important people in my brother's life, first to my daughters. diana, lexus, whitney. you guys were special to your uncle. to my brother, he loved you guys. to his nieces, veronica, alicia, kristi that, same thing. you guys were in his heart. every conversation we had.

his nieces would pop up. two very special kids out there, when my brother and i would talk, he opened up to me about them. and engine 26 i have an assignment for you to find out who they are. i'm going to give you their nicknames he had for them. he named them salami and proscrumpious. i'm not going to tell you their names but he nicknamed. he said alex those are like my kids. so you guys honor my brother the way me lived his life and the decisions he made. special man, my brother's life. i have to give much respect to my oldest brother, sergeant lucio perez of the san francisco police department. growing up in the neighborhood we did. there was a lot of violent criminals out there on the street and i was a young man growing up, when he started patrolling the kids. vincent was also a young man just a few years older, i could tell you there's some dangerous

guys that are locked up because my brother gave those streets everything he had. and we ended up following in his footsteps. so lucio for being the role model that you are, we wouldn't be in the profession that we are and we would not give it all we have if it wasn't for you. so thank you so much. and i tell you right now we wouldn't be sitting here and i wouldn't be sitting here if i wasn't for one guy who handed out a whole bunch of whoopens and raised that guy right there. vicente perez. all i can say is he raised that man right there. one of my cousins hasn't seen me since we were little kids: she said in spanish. i haven't seen you like