Last year, on the car ride home after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, Ryan Taylor told his father something that will touch him for the rest of his life.

Stunned and horrified at the news, Randy Taylor told his son he couldn't believe how calm and collected the young man was even after he learned of the possibility that he'd been handed a death sentence.

"His reply was he would much rather prefer it to be him than any other member of our family," Randy Taylor said.

Friends, co-workers and family say it was with the same sense of purpose and unflinching courage that the former Redding and Shasta County firefighter and Foothill High School student-athlete lived out the rest of his short life.

The Palo Cedro man died Jan. 28, a little more than a year after he was diagnosed.

He was 20.

"He was such a good person," said Chris Conklin, a friend of Ryan Taylors. "The fact that it happened to him, it's just real unfair."

But Ryan Taylor never let the unfairness or indignity of his cancer change his selflessness, Conklin said.

Conklin, 20, pointed out that an area sportsmen's club offered to send the cancer-stricken teen, who in high school co-founded the popular Frontiersman outdoor club, on a guided hunting safari.

The group, Conklin said, even offered to custom-make a gun that Ryan Taylor could shoot one-handed as his right arm had been rendered limp by the tumor.

"The first thing out of Ryan's mouth was, 'I don't want to take anything away from someone else,'" Conklin said. "He said, 'If there's another kid out there, I don't want to take his trip.' "

Randy Taylor said his son also felt uncomfortable about the overwhelming show of support the community offered after his diagnosis.

A series of fundraisers last year garnered about $40,000 to help offset Ryan Taylor's medical treatment and the expenses of travelling back and forth to his many doctor visits.

"He didn't like the publicity, but he deserved it," said Randy Taylor, who owns Lowery Pest Control in Redding.

Taylor's battle with cancer also shortened a promising career as a firefighter, said Redding Fire Capt. Steve Reilly.

"His character and enthusiasm touched everyone," Reilly said.

"We're suffering a loss even though we had him such a short time."

Reilly said a contingent of uniformed firefighters and a Redding Fire Department ladder truck with an attached American flag will be at Taylor's memorial service at 1 p.m. Friday at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, 2600 Shasta View Drive in Redding.

The service will focus on Taylor's love for life and also the tenacity he showed after his diagnosis.

Taylor was a first-year seasonal firefighter in the summer of 2007 with Redding Fire Station No. 3, when he first noticed that he started missing steps with his right foot. He thought his back was out.

After fire season was over, he began frequently rolling his ankle as his motor control slipped.

Then, in November 2007 while on a cruise with family, he began losing control of the right side of his body.

The disease progressed and, as the tumor grew, it slowly choked off the muscular young man's ability to use his arms, his legs and, eventually, his eyesight, Randy Taylor said.

Through it all, Ryan Taylor never once complained, his father said.

And before the cancer took his voice entirely, Taylor told his father that he was at peace.

His son also revealed that as a youngster he often prayed that if any harm befell the family, it would happen to him, Randy Taylor said.

His father smiled sadly at the memory.

"I honestly believe he had a special gift to touch people," he said.