Honoring Service & Sacrifice

Memorial Foundation Report

This will be the last article before the October 3rd and 4th services. There is a lot underway in preparations for those two dates. As of this article, we will be honoring 5 Line of Duty Names.

• Chief Garry Moore, Whitewater Fire Prot. Dist.
• Firefighter Lee Kraus, St. Louis Fire Dept.
• Heavy Rigging Specialist Larry Duncan, Missouri Task Force One.
• Shift Commander Jackson Warren – Butler County Fire Prot. Dist.
• Captain Andrew Donner – Ft. Osage Fire Prot. Dist.

We will also be honoring over 100 “Service Recognition” names which will include some awaiting an Administrative Determination regarding potential LODD Honors. Reminder that our keynote speaker on Sunday morning will be the Fire Chief of FDNY.

We are still in need of outside assistance with setting up and running both services. Your Board of Directors only represents about a third of the staff required to get all service elements completed in a timely manner. Please contact me or one of the other board members if interested.

We have three changes regarding your Board of Directors. In the last article we announced that long-term serving Don Wilmesher had retired. We are pleased to announce that Jonathan Abbott with the Lee’s Summit Fire Department has accepted that position. Jonahan has 23 years with Lee’s Summit as an engineer. This time includes over 5 years with Johnson County FPD Dist. 2 as a volunteer and then Board Director. Jonathan is also a member with Missouri “DMAT” (Disaster Medical Assistance Team) and Lee’s Summit Honor Guard Commander. It is because of that experience in assisting with our annual services that Jonathan became interested in opportunities to be more involved with the Foundation. His daughter Rory has also stepped up in assisting with the annual services. Welcome aboard Jonathan and thank you Rory for your support. 

In announcing the 2nd change, I must start with another Foundation Board retirement. A very special THANK YOU goes out to Terry Wynne and his long-standing service on the Board. Terry is taking a step back but not away from the work of the Foundation with plans to continue to assist where he can in the future. Terry remains active with FFAM as the Director of District 1 and the Missouri State Fair Fire Dept. That said we are pleased to announce that Tim Bean, Retired Fire Marshal, will fill that position and continue working with the Foundation moving forward. I would normally say welcome aboard Tim, but you really never left. We are very glad your vision and work ethic will continue in the operations of the Foundation.

Regarding the 3rd change, the State Fire Marshal’s office holds one of the two permanent seats on the Foundation Board. Welcome Acting State Fire Marshal, Matt Luetkemeyer. We look forward to continuing that very important connection with the Missouri Fire Service through the Fire Marshal’s office. Matt has been active in our Sunday Service for several years.

Drywall work planned for this phase of construction in the North half of the museum has been completed, painted and additional lighting installed. The next time you visit, we have a new look in the Northside. Work on reconstruction of the old State Fair Fire Station as the maintenance shop in the South half of the building is nearly completed and will be finished before the October services. It includes the old EMS door and some other historical pieces and features.

If you need to contact us, we have several options. For general information, engraving and shopping, our website is mofirememorial-museum.org/ Our mailing address is 5550 Dunn Drive, Kingdom City, MO 65262. For email, please use info@mofirememorial-museum.org This is a shared platform in checking of messages, so please give it a few days to respond. If it is urgent or you prefer to save time, you may call my mobile at 314 709 0760.

Thank you for your time and continued support of your memorial and future museum.