Miguel Cervantes

Rancho Cucamonga Fire District Firefighter Engineer and Paramedic Miguel Cervantes passed away on February 8, 2023 after his battle with service-related cancer.

Cervantes was born and raised in Fontana, California and Rancho Cucamonga, California. The oldest of six children, he loved the role of being a big brother and took it very seriously. After the loss of one of his younger sisters when he was 15 years old, he wanted nothing more than to live his life in a way that would make her proud. Throughout his childhood, Cervantes loved everything having to do with baseball. He watched it, played it, and read baseball magazines every chance he had. He and his wife, Cylina, met later in life through his brother. After their first date, Cervantes knew he was going to marry her.

Inspired by his father, who was a Fire Captain, Cervantes wanted to become a firefighter and help others on their worst days. He joined as a volunteer and was hired full-time at the age of 22 with the city of Norco. In 2006, one day after his and Cylina’s wedding, he joined his dream department, the Rancho Cucamonga Fire District. Cervantes took pride in helping to mold and shape the new members of the fire service. As a leader, he had a calming sense about him and treated each patient like family. He had a goal to become Fire Captain, however, his chemotherapy treatments caused him to miss the Fire Captain exam. Throughout his honorable career, Cervantes was one of the main cadre instructors for the Tech Rescue Program, a lead instructor of Rope Rescue, and a lead instructor for the Truck Company Operations. Additionally, he was nominated by his peers to become a union rank representative and served as Vice President, in which he played a vital part in the labor management and city manager meetings each month to help develop the future vision of the department. In July of 2022, Cervantes was diagnosed with Follicular Lymphoma. After four rounds of chemotherapy, the cancer stopped responding to treatment and transformed into a more aggressive type of cancer. Cervantes remained humble, brave and loving throughout his treatment, with a smile on his face until he took his last breath surrounded by his loved ones.

Cylina currently resides in California with her children. She has remained focused on raising her children without her loved one which has taken away some of her personal time. However, as she begins to navigate her new normal, she looks forward to finding things that make her happy and fulfilled. In the future, she is excited to continue to watch her children grow. Cylina is eternally grateful to Tunnel to Towers for allowing her to remain in the home she and Cervantes created for their family. Finally, she would like others to know that her husband lived every day with humility and a genuine and unconditional love for people. His smile lit up the darkest rooms. He is severely missed.

Rancho Cucamonga Fire District Firefighter Engineer and Paramedic Miguel Cervantes is survived by his loving wife, Cylina, his beautiful children, many family members and close friends, and his Rancho Cucamonga Fire family.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid off the mortgage of the Cervantes family home through the Fallen First Responder Home Program.