CHICAGO (CBS)– Family and friends of Lieutenant Flahive, who died Thursday from suspected West Nile Virus, say they’ll always remember him as a man with a big heart. CBS 2′s Susanna Song reports.

Fellow firefighters described Thomas Flahive as a funny, bubbly and healthy 58-year-old. Assigned to Engine 108′s Firehouse on the far North West side, Flahive served on the Chicago Fire Department for 23 years.

Flahive was bitten by a mosquito while his family was at their vacation home in Wisconsin two weeks ago. He later died after suffering flu-like symptoms for several days.

Comrades at Flahive’s station at Milwaukee and Laramie in Jefferson Park say they were informed Flahive’s condition was grave but they were not prepared for his passing Thursday.

Flahive is survived by a wife and three sons. He had been on the department since 1989.