The last time John McGreevy saw his friend, Christopher Roy, Roy was out with his 9-year-old daughter, Ava, picking out a Christmas Tree at a lot on Route 20.

The two friends, who worked together at Consigli construction company, have daughters who are about the same age. They would always talk about their daughters, McGreevy said.

That night they chatted as they examined the Christmas trees, trying to pick out the perfect one.

But this week has been a hard one, McGreevy said, his voice thick with emotion as he waited in line outside St. John’s Church. Thousands of firefighters from across Massachusetts had just gone in to pay respects to Roy, who died Sunday after becoming trapped in an apartment as he and other Worcester firefighters tried to quell the flames that were consuming the three-story home.

“I can’t get it out of my head, all week,” McGreevy said. “I loved him so much. I still hear his voice in my head all the time, he says my name, ‘Chowda,’ he calls me Chowda.”

McGreevy and Roy both grew up in Worcester and met as teenagers.

“He loved fishing. I loved fishing. We always used to fish together,” McGreevy said, adding that they would fish in a “secret spot” in Leicester.

Even after joining the Worcester Fire Department two and a half years ago, Roy would still help out with Consigli construction projects, McGreevy said. The two would see each other around if they weren’t working together.

“I loved the kid,” said McGreevy. “Me and him were real tight. Loved him. We were real, real tight.”

The line at St. John’s Church on Temple Street in Worcester was long and did not seem to stop on Friday evening, as thousands waited outside in the chilly breeze for a chance to pay their respects to Roy.

Roy, a 36-year-old Shrewsbury resident, responded with fellow firefighters to 7 Lowell St. for a fire around 4 a.m. Sunday. He became trapped on the second floor and succumbed to his injuries after his colleagues pulled him from the burning building.

Near the mourners waiting to enter Roy’s wake Friday was Ladder 4, its red paint polished and adorned with black bunting. That’s the truck Roy was assigned to at the Webster Square Fire Station.

“This afternoon we begin our honor to Chris, Firefighter Chris Roy, and say our final thank you and goodbye to him,” Deputy Fire Chief Martin Dyer said Friday, as firefighters from departments spanning Massachusetts lined up outside St. John’s. “We’re going to have an appropriate send-off for Chris to show the way the fire service comes together to take care of one of its brothers.”

Roy’s funeral is at 10 a.m. on Saturday at St. John’s Catholic Church. In addition to his daughter, Roy leaves his parents and a brother.

Friends have remembered Roy for his bright smile, his laugh, his “boisterous” personality and, of course, for his love for his daughter.

The Ava Roy Fund was established by Worcester Firefighters IAFF Local 1009. Several businesses and restaurants in Worcester have announced fundraisers for the Roy family, many of which will feed into the Ava Roy Fund.

Anyone who wishes to contribute to the fund can make checks payable to the “AVA ROY FUND” and can mail them directly to the Worcester Fire Department Credit Union at 34 Glennie St., Worcester, Mass., 01605.

So far, the fund has raised about $50,000 for Roy’s daughter, officials said.

“The outpouring of support from this community has been outstanding,” Worcester Firefighters IAFF Local 1009 President Michael Papagni said. “We’d ask that anyone who does want to show a sign of support, the best way they can do that is to donate to the Ava Fund and make sure that Ava Roy never has to worry about another thing again.”

The entire fire department has gone through crisis intervention in the days since Roy’s passing, Worcester Fire Chief Michael Lavoie said Friday.

“We just need to keep an eye on our guys and keep them all safe,” Lavoie said. “This takes its toll.”

Roy’s death came during a particularly grueling month, and week, for the Worcester Fire Department.

Dec. 3 marks the anniversary of the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire, which claimed the lives of six firefighters in 1999.

And Dec. 8 is the anniversary of the death of Worcester Firefighter Jon D. Davies Sr., who died on Dec. 8, 2011, while battling a fire inside an Arlington Street three-decker.

“Obviously we’ve been there before, with the tragedies of ’99 and 2011,” Lavoie said. “It doesn’t get any easier. This is a devastating loss and it’s taken its toll.”

Somerville Deputy Fire Chief Bill Hallinan attended Roy’s wake with several members of his department.

“You have to feel for the poor guy,” Hallinan said. “His young daughter is left behind without him. That’s the thing that hurts me.”

Even some who did not know Roy and who aren’t in the fire service walked down Temple Street, glancing at the church as it was surrounded by firefighters.

“I just wanted to be here for support because of the firefighters and everything they do for this community,” said Worcester resident Dino Toscano. “They should be appreciated for all of it.”