GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Greensboro Fire Department honored its fallen firefighters Saturday.
This is the second annual memorial the department has held at Green Hill Cemetery.
"Each firefighter on that list has left a lasting legacy," Fire Chief Jim Robinson said.
The memorial had speakers take turns at the podium, honoring those who have fallen.
"Your loved ones are all heroes," Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said.
One of the firefighters honored was Rick Murrell, who died in a car accident in July.
Tonya Murrell and her three children attended the memorial service. Murrell's daughter, Kathryn Murrell spoke to WFMY.
Kathryn said she and her family are blessed to have the community standing behind them during this time.
"It means the world to our family and us. Just due to the nature of my dad‘s death, my mom wasn’t able to go to his funeral so the firefighters, taking the time to do this memorial means the world to us and to my mom," she said. "She gets that little bit of closure that she didn’t have and getting to see all of the firefighters that served with my dad, it really means the world to me and it really means the world to my mom.“
Mayor Vaughan even said a few words to the Murrell family.
"I want you to know that we are here with you and we think about you and we think about Rick just about every day, he was an amazing man," Vaughan said.
14 firefighters were honored:
- Junior Alle, August 17, 2022
- Joe Anderson, November 25, 2021
- Larry Beal, August 26, 2022
- Jackie Beard, April 10, 2002 (Line of duty death)
- Butch Burchette, August 23, 2022
- Raymond Cockman, June 14, 1987 (Line of duty death)
- Roger Collis, April 29, 2022
- Ray D. Cooke, March 28, 1963 (Line of duty death)
- Ray Flowers, July 16, 2022
- Jesse Gray, December 31, 1969 (Line of duty death)
- Rick Murrell, July 9, 2022
- Bobby Shane, December 18, 2021
- Randall Simpson, February 15, 2022
- Wayne Snuggs, February 26, 2022