Motorcyclists traveled from Stow to Dorchester on Sunday morning in a procession honoring Robert “Bobby” Kilduff Jr., the Boston firefighter and Marine veteran who died battling a fire earlier this year.
Kilduff died in May after falling from a third-story window while battling a three-alarm fire in Dorchester.
Sam Dillon, president of Boston Firefighters Local 718, estimated that hundreds of people turned out for the procession and gathering that followed.
“It’s still pretty new, pretty solemn,” Dillon said in a phone interview. “Bobby only passed several months ago, but [today] was definitely upbeat. It was nice to get everybody together. It was nice to see people from outside of Boston recognizing Bobby’s service, his sacrifice. I know it meant a lot.”
Sunday’s procession gave friends, colleagues, and community members an opportunity to come together and remember Kilduff, whose impact extended beyond his work as a firefighter.
“I always say Bobby knew you needed his help before you did,” Dillon said. “Even when we were planning his funeral, I must have reached for my phone three or four times during the week to actually call Bobby because I needed help with something, and then remembered that we’re actually planning his services. That’s just the kind of guy he was.”
The procession began at the State Fire Academy in Stow and ended at Florian Hall in Dorchester, the headquarters of Local 718. The event also raised money to support Kilduff’s family.
Kilduff was a third-generation Boston firefighter and US Marine veteran.
“Bobby Kilduff was a hell of a firefighter, was a hell of a United States Marine veteran,” Dillon said. “He was just a hell of a person.”
Gitana Savage can be reached at gitana.savage@globe.com. Follow her on X @gitana_savage.