Becoming a firefighter wasn’t just a dream Charlie Mudra had as a little boy. He meant it with every fiber of his being.

So he joined the New Hyde Park Volunteer Fire Company in New York right after graduating from high school, beginning a more-than-three-decade career as a firefighter, EMT and emergency vehicle driver.

He joined the Baltimore City Fire Department 17 years ago and spent the past several years driving fire trucks. He dedicated everything he could to his job, said his girlfriend, Elizabeth Odell, up until the minute he collapsed during a training session at the Fire Academy last week.

“He wasn’t in it for, like, ‘Oh, let’s be a hero,’” she said. “I think that’s why he was so successful in EMS, because there are a lot more chances to help people in small ways.”

Mudra, a supportive partner with a love for comic books and “Star Wars,” died May 16. The official cause of death has not been determined. He was 52.

He was born Nov. 3, 1972, and grew up on Long Island. He shared a name with his father, who died when Mudra was an infant. His mother, Mildred, raised him alongside his grandmother, aunt and cousin. He had a happy childhood and made many lifelong friends.

His mother never remarried or had other children, and, while still in New York, Mudra cared for her until she died.

Mudra attended Sewanhaka High School and played as an offensive tackle on the varsity football team. He graduated in 1990, and eight years later he joined the New York City Fire Department, first as an EMT and then as an EMS lieutenant.

He came down to Baltimore in 2008 and mostly lived near Patterson Park. He started as an EMT firefighter and was later promoted to drive emergency vehicles across the city, most recently with Truck Company 20.

He charmed colleagues with his New York spunk and handled difficult situations with care and grace, Odell said. He had short legs, so he wasn’t the fastest runner, but hard work made up for it. He’d responded to all kinds of scenes, from rescuing trapped cats to treating choking children.

He was passionate about what he did, so much so that it sometimes frustrated him when others didn’t seem to understand the job. He was involved in an altercation with a city employee in 2018 during a debate over bike lanes and fire code, later pleading guilty to second-degree assault.

He served one year of unsupervised probation. At the time, his attorney told local media that a political discussion had gotten heated, and “it was an unfortunate incident, but it’s not reflective of who he is as a person.”

Odell said the same. The man she knew was kind, emotionally intelligent and always supportive. They met at Butts and Betty’s Tavern in 2022 after attending funerals for three firefighters who also died on the job. Odell, a paramedic with the fire department, knew exactly what Mudra was feeling at the time.

More than that, though, they just connected. She loved his personality and all of his body hair (thanks to Italian and Polish genes), and she felt like she could be silly around him. Both native New Yorkers, they quickly agreed that Maryland pizza simply could not compare.

She was impressed by his maturity and introspectiveness. He moved in with her about two months later.

“He wanted to understand me, and he wanted to look at his behavior patterns he had in the past and see what wasn’t working out,” she said.

Odell had two teenage sons, James and Casper Gardner. Mudra didn’t have children of his own but proudly stepped into the role of a father figure.

“He cared for them and loved them like they were his own, along with all of the joy and frustrations that come with having teenagers,” Odell said.

She had four cats, too, and Mudra reluctantly became a cat person. He’d always preferred the company of his dog, Butcher, who wrestled and played with him.

Mudra was such a gentleman that Odell joked she didn’t know how to open car doors anymore. He always brought her coffee and encouraged her personal and professional aspirations. About a year into their relationship, she grew very sick and had to go to the hospital. Mudra only left her side to work and take care of the animals.

“When I was younger, I thought safety in a relationship was financial — property, bank accounts, whatever,” Odell said. “With Charlie, I learned what safety is. I don’t have to be perfect for him to love me, and it went both ways.”

One of her favorite memories was the time Mudra took her to New York and showed her the bench where his father proposed to his mother. Odell and Mudra planned on getting married, too, after her youngest son turned 18. They were just about a year away, and he often said he was going to get a T-shirt declaring himself “World’s Best Stepfather.”

He also had a large collection of action figures and adored “Daredevil” comic books. He teased Odell’s younger son about his love for “Star Trek,” because obviously “Star Wars” was superior. He liked exploring and taking trips, but more than anything, “we just liked being around each other,” Odell said.

Mudra made sure his partner and her children had everything they needed. He did the same for strangers, she said, including when he died. He was an organ and tissue donor.

“If you want to do something to remember Charlie, just be kind to the person who’s asking for help that maybe doesn’t get it the first time, or isn’t the fastest runner,” Odell said. “Just be kind to them.”

A funeral is scheduled for June 7 at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Nativity in Timonium.

City firefighters are also grieving the recent death of Lt. Mark Dranbauer, a 23-year veteran of the department. He suffered a “sudden and devastating medical emergency” while helping put out a fire on May 12 and was taken off life support days later.

The Banner publishes news stories about people who have recently died in Maryland. If your loved one has passed and you would like to inquire about an obituary, please contact obituary@thebaltimorebanner.com. If you are interested in placing a paid death notice, please contact groupsales@thebaltimorebanner.com or visit this website.