| On Friday evening, June 12th, members of the John Robert Walker Memorial First Aid Squad and Oakland Volunteer Fire Department honored our fallen Brother, Kevin McMackin, with a memorial service and procession traveling through three towns that included nearly 20 pieces of apparatus, including a flyover by a medic helicopter, that followed from the funeral home in Wyckoff back to Oakland for Kevin's final resting place. Towns from as far away as Englewood and as close as Franklin Lakes all turned out to honor Kevin’s life and dedication to service – a life lived to its fullest for 23 years.
During the memorial at the funeral home, Chaplains from both Departments provided inspiration and thought on the meaning of Kevin’s life and dedicated service to both the First Aid and Fire services. Friends of Kevin provided the over one hundred attendees with great memories of Kevin, his fun loving spirit and joking nature, and most of all is calming presence and guidance to fellow EMS members as he taught them to stay calm, cool and collected during first aid responses. As a final tone was sounded over the radio, with calls for Kevin to respond left unanswered, all first responding service members in attendance marched forward standing two by two and saluted Kevin one last him before exiting the service.
The members of the John Robert Walker Memorial First Aid Squad and Oakland Volunteer Fire Department would like to thank all of the Town’s that lent assistance to honor Kevin and we would also like to thank the residents of Oakland for their support in turning out to watch and pay honor to the memorial procession as it traveled through town. Both Department's and Kevin’s family truly appreciate your support.
Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow, I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain, I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush, I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight, I am the star shine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom, I am in a quiet room,
I am the birds that sing, I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there. I do not die.
~ Mary Frye of Baltimore, Maryland in 1932 |
