William Christopher Bonardi lived just five minutes away from his parents in Lincoln. That may help explain why he remained so close to them.

Bonardi, 36, ate weekly with his parents. He went grocery shopping with his mother on weekends.

"During meals he would fill us in on all the stuff he did and the funny things he and his friends did," his mother, Dorothy Bonardi, told The Providence Journal. "He kept us young by telling us what was going on with young people and the world."

Bonardi covered the Providence Bruins hockey team on WALE radio.

His house is filled with hockey sticks and memorabilia from two other sports teams: the Boston Red Sox and Washington Redskins.

He also had mementos from Japan and China, countries he visited on business trips for Burns of Boston.

"The people he met there still send him cards and presents," his father said.

Salvatore Esposito met Bonardi when they both worked at Burns of Boston. They often went to The Station, and attended the Great White concert. Esposito said he grabbed Billy when the fire broke out, but he lost him in the crowd.