Richard J. Cano was 35 at the time of his death. On the morning of November 22, 2015, Richard returned home from his 24-hour shift and went to sleep on the couch. At approximately 8:40 a.m., he began to have seizure-like activity, and his wife called 911. Arriving units found her performing CPR and began advanced life support care. He was taken to the hospital, where he remained unconscious in ICU for a week. On November 29, 2015, he passed away at the hospital.

Richard was born November 15, 1980, in Houston, Texas, to Janie and Manuel Cano, with an older brother, Chris. On July 5, 2005, he married his wife, Laura, before deploying on his first tour to Iraq. On May 13, 2007, while he was on his second tour in Iraq at Al Asad Air Base, his wife gave birth to their son, Sean, in North Carolina. Even with miles between them, he was able to be on the phone with her during the whole time she was in labor. Two days later he was able to meet his son via a video teleconference.

Richard was a Marine veteran with a rank of corporal when he got out. He was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina. He served three tours in Iraq between the years of 2005 and 2009. He was a member of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department. When he wasn’t volunteering for the department, he worked for AMR as an EMT. He was a member of the Lone Star Veterans Association and Operation Enduring Brotherhood. Being a Marine meant the world to him, and he wanted to help others.

In 2009, Richard got out of the Marine Corps and wanted to continue with his public service. He went to the fire academy at Lone Star College, where he became a certified firefighter and EMT. He spent over four years volunteering for CFVFD and doing what he loved. He was a people person and never met a stranger.

When he wasn’t working on volunteering for the department, he enjoyed spending time with his family. He loved to participate in scout functions with his son. He enjoyed going to the beach with his family and traveling. During football season, every Sunday would be devoted to family football time. His favorite team, which he shared with his wife and son, was the Houston Texans. Every summer he would take family trips to various places. His most favorite was getting to take his son to Disney World.