Fallen Chicago Firefighter Lt. Jan Tchoryk Laid to Rest Thursday

Chicago Firefighter Lt. Jan Tchoryk was laid to rest Thursday, one week after he died while battling a high-rise fire in the Gold Coast neighborhood.

Dozens gathered to watch both inside and outside the church as Tchoryk was remembered in an emotional service for his bravery, his legacy, his humor, his smile and his heroism.

"Jan has been a member of the CFD family, which he served proudly for 26 years," Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said during the service. "During those 26 years. Jan joined his fellow first responders on countless calls across the city to help citizens and visitors of this great city. He continued that call to serve until the very end, running into a high-rise fire to be of service to someone in need of his assistance. In our mourning, we must not forget to celebrate a man who answered the call to protect our city."

But he was also more than a firefighter and veteran, his niece said during the service.

"There were so many little bits, little pieces, both simple and complicated, that made Jan the man that he was. Although a small part, his smile was infectious to all around him and something we can all remember him by," said Laryssa Osyka.

Wednesday, during a visitation service at Cumberland Chapels in suburban Norridge, family, friends and colleagues turned up to pay their respects for the fallen firefighter. Hundreds of members of the CFD held a walk-through at the visitation, and more arrived Thursday to say their final goodbyes.

“He was just really a wonderful fella," said John O'Shea of Tchoryk. "Well liked…well liked by everybody. And it’s just really sad what happened.”

Tchoryk, 55, a 26-year veteran of the department, suffered a heart attack while responding to a fire while climbing the stairs to fight a fire on the 27th floor of a Gold Coast apartment building on April 5, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

His official cause of death was hypertensive-arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, officials said.

"He was making his way up to the fire floor, they had to take the stairs because the elevators were out, and then he went down," said Nance-Holt. "He was with his crews when he did, a mayday was called for help. The crews then started treating him right away by doing CPR on the scene and got them back to the lobby where they continued and ambulance 66 took him and they continued CPR to the hospital along with members ... despite their best efforts he succumbed to his injuries."

A procession escorted Tchoryk from St. Joseph Ukrainian Church, located at 5000 N. Cumberland Ave. in Chicago, to his final resting place.

The funeral is the first of two firefighter funerals to be held in Chicago this week. Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., visitation services will be held for Jermaine Pelt, 49, who died while battling a house fire on the city's South Side.

Pelt’s cause of death was ruled as carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the medical examiner’s office. Two other firefighters were also injured in that blaze.

Pelt's funeral services will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at Chicago’s House of Hope.