Richmond-Jeffery (Jeff) C. Furlong, age 56, of Richmond, Maine, passed away suddenly on February 23, 2026 at Maine General Hospital in Augusta, Maine after a fall at his home following a lengthy illness.
Jeff was born in Calais, ME on July 9, 1969 and graduated from Marshwood High
School in South Berwick, Maine in 1987.
After graduating, Jeff went on to become a longtime Firefighter/EMT with the Durham New Hampshire Fire Department. He began his career with the department in 1987 and served for 22 years before retiring in 2009. Jeff started his career as a Firefighter/EMT Basic, and over time, he advanced to EMT/Intermediate Certification and ultimately was promoted to the rank of Captain by the time he retired in 2009. At one point during his career, Jeff also served as President of the Durham Professional Firefighters Association and additionally, he set up a maintenance system for their vehicles that is still being used by the department to this day.
Outside the fire service, Jeff enjoyed hunting and fishing, birdwatching, cross stitching, and spending time with family and friends. His motto in life was to treat others the way we want to be treated.
Jeff was so much more than a firefighter and an EMT. From the day he was born, he carried a kindness and strength that touched everyone around him. Jeff had a way of caring deeply for others and that compassion led him to devote his life to serving his community. He chose a life of helping people, often on their worst days, and did it with courage, humility, and heart. But beyond the uniform and the badge, Jeff was simply my son. He was someone who could make people laugh, someone who showed up when others needed him, and someone who loved his family very much. Those who knew him best remember his generous spirit, his willingness to lend a hand whenever someone needed it, and the pride he took in serving others. His work was more than a career - it was a calling! His fellow firefighters knew him not only as a dependable colleague but as a brother who could always be counted on. Jeff spoke of them often and of the special bond they shared. Jeff's life reminds us that heroism is found not only in moments of bravery but also in every day acts of kindness, compassion, and dedication.
Though his time with us was far too short, the impact he made will live on in the lives he
touched and in the community he served so faithfully. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered by his family, friends, fellow firefighters, and the many people whose lives he touched along the way.
Jeff was predeceased by two brothers, Stacy and Jeremy Furlong; his grandparents, Eva and Carlton Bohanon; an aunt, Brenda Spear; and a very special cousin, Corey Wentworth.
Surviving are his mother, Evelyn Belanger and her husband Russell Belanger of Buxton; one brother Darrin Furlong and his wife, Jodi Furlong of Shapleigh; three children - Nicole Grady and her wife, Ashley Grady, and their three children, Madyson, Harper, and Ella, of Rochester, NH; two sons, Joshua Furlong also of Rochester, NH; and Kyle Furlong and his wife Lindsey Furlong and their two children, Allison and Leo of Limington; an aunt, Pamela Mitchell of Brewer; a niece, Erin Furlong of California; and two nephews, Zachary Furlong of Porter and Darrin Allen Furlong, along with several cousins.
Jeff found great comfort in the Bible's promise found at Revelation 21:4 and looked forward to the fulfilment of the words spoken there, which read "He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away." Until that day arrives, it's comforting to know that Jeff is finally resting peacefully in the safest possible place he could ever be, that being in the memory of our loving heavenly Father, awaiting an earthly resurrection into a beautiful paradise earth where he will be never experience pain or suffering ever again. Jeff will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved him!
Arrangements have been entrusted to Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, Buxton, www.mainefuneral.com