"We attended the Memorial service in 1996, and to be honest, I do not remember much of it; the pain was still too raw. However, when I returned to volunteer with new families at the Memorial Weekend many years later, everything reminded me of my dad. How could I turn down the chance to be a part of something greater than myself? The Foundation is so determined to help families honor their loved ones, provide resources through its many programs (I received scholarships which helped me achieve my MBA - something my dad would be very proud of), and reduce the number of firefighter fatalities. Through this, I have met some of the most amazing and caring people from all walks of life and from all over the country. This is truly work that I have enjoyed. The Foundation's commitment will never know failure because, through their work, our families will never be forgotten."
My life forever changed on August 22, 1995. I was only 17, and all of the "good things" in life were still to happen - high school graduation, college, college graduation, marriage... I never thought that any of these moments would happen without my dad. And when I lost him, I thought the world would never be right again, that I would never be able to face the reality of what so many of us have gone through.
My dad was a part of the fire department's water rescue team. They were called to the scene of an accident to locate the body of a drowned man. Things did not go as planned and my dad was flown to a nearby trauma center and placed on life support. I still have vivid memories of our time at the hospital - all the machines he was hooked up to, family and friends lined up in the halls standing vigil, and that dreaded moment when I was told he was gone.
My dad started his fire service and first responder duties in 1983. By 1985, my parents started the local First Responder group in our small town with a close family friend. It was a one-van operation, but it served the local community with pride and professionalism. Our family moved to a nearby town in 1989, and my dad joined the fire department there and worked his way through the ranks and specialties: FF 1 Mod 1 (1989), FF 1 Mod 2 (1990), HazMat (1991), Captain (1993), Fire Investigation (1993), as well as other specialties including an Ice Diving Instructor. He was appointed Honorary Chief - Posthumously in January of 1996.
My dad was one of those people that seemed to be great at everything he set out to do and never seemed to fail; his ambition in life was something that I had never known. He had been a volunteer fireman and first responder for as long as I could remember, but he never forgot to enjoy life. He loved camping, hunting, skiing, SCUBA diving, NASCAR, antiques, reading, and cars. He left his stable and hard-working career as an ASE auto technician and painter to pursue his dream of being a small business owner - another success. And he taught me that for every fall, there is an opportunity to do something more. It was only a failure if you did not try.