In March of this year, Iwata, a beloved captain in the Maui Fire Department, was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had always been in excellent health and never smoked. He was 42 years old and, by all accounts, the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet. It hardly seemed fair, but Iwata never let himself think that way.

"From the first day of his diagnosis to the last day of his life, he was positive and strong in spirit," Canha said. "He never gave up the fight to live."

The entire Maui Fire Department rallied around him. When he couldn't get to the station anymore, his crew would come to visit him. Firefighters put on a benefit golf tournament and, along with the Maui Police Department, a fund-raising luncheon and fashion show that collected close to $100,000 for Iwata's medical expenses.

But chemotherapy didn't stop the spread of tumors. Radiation and surgery weren't options. Iwata traveled to the Mainland to participate in clinical trials at two university hospitals. He hoped doctors might be able to learn from his illness to help other patients. He died Nov. 18.

Iwata's oldest son, Jordan, 19, came home from college on the Mainland to care of his father in the last few months. Both sons are talking about careers in the medical field, continuing their father's legacy of helping.

Services for Charlie Iwata will begin today at St. Anthony Church in Wailuku. Visitation is from 5 to 9 p.m. tonight and from 8 a.m. Wednesday with Mass at noon. Then, he will take his final ride on engine "Mikioi" past both the Wailuku and Kahului fire stations where he spent his career.

"He wouldn't want anybody to repeat the fact that he had saved lives and saved property on fire calls," Canha said. "To him, it was just part of the job."