MEDWAY - Stephen Reding was a contractor, small business owner, local building inspector and father, but nothing so much as a firefighter.

The town's two fire stations were draped in black yesterday, with flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Reding, who died Saturday at home after an eight-year battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 44.

"He definitely had a strong drive when it came to fire service, probably to the point that a lot of the guys in the fire department, a little piece of him goes with them every time the whistle goes off," said his brother and fellow firefighter Bob Reding.

Steve Reding spent most of his life in Medway, moving here with his parents when he was just a few years old.

The oldest of four boys, he graduated from Medway High School in 1975. He spent a few years working for a stationery company in Framingham before setting up his own office supply business. He later ran his own building company.

He joined the fire department as a call firefighter in 1979. Colleagues say he always showed strong devotion.

"Even if he had the office supply company or the construction company, when the whistle blew, it was all fire department," Fire Chief Wayne Vinton said.

Reding spent much of his early years driving Engine 4, purchased in 1980.

"For probably the first part of his career, he was running the truck," Bob Reding said. "Then he decided it was time to start going into the building. He wanted to see the other end of the hose."

Reding quickly earned the respect of fellow firefighters, his brother said.

"He was a true leader on the fire team, too," Bob Reding said. "I don't think there was anyone on the fire department that wouldn't go into a working fire with him."

Named lieutenant in 1988, Reding worked to improve department training and set up better protection for firefighters. His brother recalls he sought insurance coverage for call firefighters.

Vinton will remember Reding for his willingness to serve the department any way he could, from taking on major administrative projects to finishing rooms and building wooden lockers in Station II.

"Steve was always there, always there," Vinton said. "If something needed to be done, Steve was willing to do it way over the call."

"He was always 100 percent for the fire department, always put in 110 percent in whatever he did for the department," agreed Michael Fasolino, a Station II captain.

Training was one of Reding's strengths, Fasolino said.

"He was excellent," Fasolino said. "He would train himself. He was very book smart. He passed that along to everyone in his department."

Reding wanted all firefighters to feel comfortable using the equipment, Fasolino said, and helped them any way he could.

"He would take it upon himself to train the guys after hours," Fasolino said.

Life changed for Reding in 1994, when he learned he had Lou Gehrig's disease. Told he had a few years to live, he began researching treatments and cures with vigor.

"He definitely gave it a long fight," his brother said. "Eight years is a long time with that disease."

Reding continued working for the department for a few years, performing administrative work and overseeing projects, such as construction of the new fire station. He was named an honorary deputy chief in 2001 and kept reporting to fires until as recently as last year, getting himself there on his motorized wheelchair.

"That was the hardest thing he had to deal with, was hearing the whistles go off and not being able to go out," Bob Reding said.

Reding also began planning for his death, establishing trust funds for his three daughters and becoming active in his Catholic church.

"God became a big part of his life," Bob Reding said.

In search of treatment, he sought help from the community and fellow firefighters. They in turn raised thousands of dollars for him over the years, some of which went to nonprofit organizations fighting Lou Gehrig's disease.

In 1997, community members helped Reding raffle off his house and use proceeds to buy another piece of land, where local contractors and firefighters built a house with handicap accommodations.

"Stevie touched a lot of people in a lot of different ways," Vinton said.