By Stephanie Weldy
The Marin Independent Journal
MARIN, Calif. — Marin firefighters, family and friends are mourning the death of Chris Mahoney, a Ross Valley Fire Department fire engineer and paramedic, whose body was found this week in his San Francisco home. He was 39.
The cause of death will not be known for several weeks pending an autopsy, according to the San Francisco chief medical examiner’s office. San Francisco police said the death does not appear to be suspicious.
Co-workers found Mahoney’s body in his home on Wednesday after he did not show up for work that day, said Margo Rohrbacher, a Central Marin police spokeswoman.
Flowers and display boards with Mahoney’s image were posted Friday outside Ross Valley Fire’s San Anselmo and Fairfax stations, flags at Marin fire stations were flown at half-staff and badges were to be shrouded.
“We offer our deepest condolences to the Mahoney family as they mourn the loss of their beloved son and brother,” Ross Valley fire said in a statement. “Please keep them, and all of us, in your thoughts at this sad time.”
Mahoney was a Marin native who grew up in Fairfax and graduated from Sir Francis Drake High School, according to the Ross Valley Fire Department. He studied classical music at Marlboro College in Vermont before beginning his public safety career as a volunteer with the fire department. The department hired him full-time in 2005. He was also a member of Marin’s Hazardous Materials Team.
Mahoney is survived by his mother, Shirley Mahoney; his father, Jay Mahoney, and stepmother, Trish; his sister, Julia Lieb; his brother, Ross Valley fire Battalion Chief Dan Mahoney; and three nieces.
Mahoney’s family was expected to hold a private service, with a celebration of life for family, friends and colleagues to follow, and details to be announced at a later date, according to Ross Valley fire.
An online fundraiser was launched in Mahoney’s memory on Thursday. About $5,000 had been raised as of early Friday. Donations were slated to go to a charity of the Mahoney family’s choosing. The fund is accessible at gofundme.com/chris-mahoney.
Copyright 2017 The Marin Independent Journal