Joseph Bolduc Jr., 56, activist and former firefighter

Joseph J. Bolduc Jr., 56, of Port Richmond, a neighborhood activist and a former Philadelphia firefighter and paramedic, died of complications from liver cancer Wednesday at Northeast Hospital.

Mr. Bolduc believed he contracted hepatitis C while serving in the Fire Department from 1984 to 1988, his son Christopher said. The disease led to liver cancer, which was diagnosed in 2005. He had a liver transplant in 2006, but the cancer returned the following year.

Mr. Bolduc was active in the Philadelphia firefighters' union's effort to seek improved health benefits and testing for members exposed to hepatitis C, his son said.

While in the Fire Department, Mr. Bolduc served with engine companies in North Philadelphia, and helped restore antique apparatus at Fireman's Hall. After leaving the department on disability from a shoulder injury, he was a maintenance manager for Regal Cinemas for 17 years.

A graduate of Kensington High School, Mr. Bolduc served in the Navy from 1969 to 1971 and was stationed aboard the destroyer Forrest Royale in the Pacific. After his discharge, he was a logger in upstate New York and a construction contractor in Philadelphia before joining the Fire Department.

Mr. Bolduc was past president of the Franklin Athletic Club in Kensington, and coached T-ball and soccer for the club for over a decade. He also helped maintain Stokely Playground in Port Richmond for many years and was a block captain. A longtime Democratic committeeman, he ran for councilman-at-large in 1991 and for state representative in 1993.

In addition to his son, Mr. Bolduc is survived by his wife of 19 years, Linda Lee Bolduc; sons Joseph Jr., Francis, Matthew, and Christopher Lee; three brothers; a sister; nine grandchildren; and his former wife, Joanne Murawski.

Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow and from 8:30 a.m. Monday, followed by a funeral at 10:30, at Cassizzi Funeral Home, 2913 E. Thompson St.

Memorial donations may be made to Firefighters Local 22, Hep-C Fund, 415 N. Fifth St., Philadelphia 19107.