When Muncie Fire Department chief fire inspector Robert Mead received a text message from Scott Davis on June 15, he didn't think much of it at first.
"I had no idea at the time, that it would be time for him to go," he said.
Hundreds of firefighters, family and friends packed the Horizon Center for the funeral of a fallen firefighter Tuesday.
Fellow firefighters, family and Rep. Mike Pence spoke about Davis, 40, and his dedication to the Muncie Fire Department to honor the hero who lost his life while fighting a blaze at the Tabernacle of Praise church on June 15.
Davis' wife, Raeanne, spoke for about seven minutes about her husband, his brotherhood within the Muncie Fire Department and to thank everyone for their love and support.
"Scott was an only child, but you proved today that was a false statement," she said.
She said she met Davis when she was 16 and had been together ever since.
"Scott was an amazing, amazing man to me," she said. "I know you all heard about the firefighter Scott was. At home, he was just Dad."
His wife said she used to have to drag him to church on Sundays, but after finding a good group of friends at the Yorktown United Methodist Church, that all went away.
"I saw Scott become a man of God," she said. "I watched it happen, and I watched every facet of his life become better because of that."
Davis became a better man because of his faith, she said, and it spread to those he was close with, including Mead.
"Rob's wife actually wrote me a note that I got in the mail yesterday. It said she saw her husband become a better man when he was stationed with Scott," she said. "So they grew together, and they learned together, and they respected each other."
Mead fought tears as he conducted his eulogy and referred to Davis as someone who was closer to him than a friend or brother.
"...Scott was more than my brother-firefighter, more than my friend," he said. "He was my comrade, Scooter. To simply call him my brother or my friend would not do our relationship justice. It's harder to be a comrade than a friend. It's different than being a brother."
Mead said Davis was often the first one in the fire station and the last one to leave. It's something, Mead said, that will continue to influence his fellow firefighters.
"His service will never end because he touched and moved us to be better," he said.
Mead often referred to Davis as his nickname "Scooter" throughout the service, and recalled his more rambunctious side.
"He knew how to be serious, but he also knew how to joke around and have fun," he said. "Not only [would he] hide blankets and sheets from beds...but [he would] hide an entire bed."
A procession through the streets of downtown Muncie followed the funeral and stopped at Muncie Fire Station 1 for the Last Bell ceremony.
Spectators, many armed with cool washcloths and bottled water to beat the heat, started lining up the street at least an hour before the ceremony to see hundreds of firefighters walk to honor the fallen firefighter.
Raeanne Davis clutched her two sons and daughter as the bell rang to reflect honor and respect to the man who gave up his life for service.
Davis said during her husband's funeral that his death isn't the end.
"I know this isn't forever, that this is just for right now," she said. "We will be with him again."
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