By Sterling McGinn
Active and former Newberry firefighters joined forces on Saturday, February 11 to honor and pay tribute to the late Ronald Brown, who formerly served as department chief.
Brown died on February 8 and his obituary is on page four of this issue.
His firefighter memorial took place at the Newberry Elks Lodge following an Elk’s memorial.
In keeping with tradition, Brown was given a final call through Central Dispatch. This somber memorial took place over the firemen’s radio and is a reminder of their sacrifices. Later, “Taps” was sounded while the firemen gave a final salute.
The bugle call “Taps”, which is usually played at military services, can also be played at a first responder’s funeral.
Brown was a Newberry native who worked at the former Newberry Regional Mental Health Center. He was a founding member of the Luce County Ambulance Corps and was member of the Newberry Fire Department for 28 years. He served as the fire chief in the late 1980s.
The family displayed some memorabilia and photos from Brown’s time with the department.
Pictured from left to right in the front row is: Bruce Klusmeyer, former Chief Dale Immel, Steve Fossitt, Jason Tokar, Ed Neff, Chief John Wendt, Marty Harju, Justin Neff and retired firefighter Jerry Galor. Back row: Mike Blackmer, Dave Schummer, Chuck Fossitt, Devin Quinlan, and Tony Immel.
