Governor Kehoe has proclaimed Sunday, Oct. 4, as Missouri Fire Service Memorial Day
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri’s fire service will host memorial services at the Fire Fighters Memorial of Missouri in Kingdom City on Friday and Saturday to honor the state’s fallen firefighters.
On Saturday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m., a candlelight vigil will be held for all Missouri firefighters who have died while serving their communities.
On Sunday, Oct. 4, at 10:30 a.m., a memorial service will be held in which attention will be called to five Missouri firefighters recognized recently as having died in the line of duty by the Fire Fighters Memorial Foundation of Missouri Board, and whose names have been added to the monument wall commemorating Missouri firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their fellow Missourians. Other Missouri firefighters who passed away will also be remembered during Sunday’s ceremony.
Governor Mike Kehoe has proclaimed Oct. 4 as Fire Service Memorial Day in Missouri.
“Our communities are immeasurably safer because of the brave and faithful service of Missouri’s firefighters, who run toward danger without hesitation,” Governor Kehoe said. “We are forever indebted to the heroes who paid the ultimate price for their commitment to others and willingness to risk everything to create a safer Missouri.”
“While this weekend’s memorial services remind us of the tragic losses Missouri’s fire service has suffered, they also serve as a testimonial to the tradition of public service and the courageous individuals who put service to others before self,” Acting State Fire Marshal Matt Luetkemeyer said. “The bravery, dedication and honorable service of the fallen serve as models for all of us in the fire service and for generations to come.”
Both events will take place at the Fire Fighters Memorial of Missouri, 5550 Dunn Drive, Kingdom City, MO 65262 (one block northwest of I-70 Exit 148 for U.S. Highway 54). In case of inclement weather, the events will be moved to Auxvasse Elementary School, 650 E. Harrison St., Auxvasse, MO 65231.
The Fire Fighters Memorial Foundation of Missouri Board has approved these additions to the Wall of Honor:
- Captain Andrew Stephen Donner, Fort Osage Fire Protection District, Aug. 27, 2019
Donner, 36, completed certifications to become a firefighter/EMT while in high school and began his career with the Prairie Township Fire Protection District. He joined the Fort Osage district in 2003. He moved to Virginia in 2007 but returned to Fort Osage in 2012 and served a total of 12 years in the fire service. He died in the line of duty of occupational cancer.
- Heavy Rigging Specialist Larry Roland Duncan, Missouri Task Force 1, Jan. 15, 2025
Duncan, 64, began his firefighting service with the Cooper County Fire Protection District in 1984 and also served with the Boone County Fire Protection District and the Howard County Fire Protection District. He served with Missouri Task Force 1 from 1998 to 2003, including being deployed to Ground Zero in New York in the aftermath of 9/11. His service there led to his line of duty death.
- Fire Chief Garry Glenn Moore, Whitewater Fire Protection District, April 2, 2025
Moore, 68, began volunteering as a firefighter and EMT with several departments in the 1970s. He moved to Whitewater after retiring from the U.S. Navy, volunteered for the Whitewater Fire Protection District and ascended to fire chief in the mid-1990s. He died in the line of duty responding to a tornado in Delta, Mo.
- Firefighter Lee Michael Kraus, St. Louis Fire Department, July 1, 2025
Kraus, 52, dedicated 31 years to public service, first serving as an EMT and then joining the St. Louis Fire Department as a firefighter in 1998. He died in the line of duty after suffering a medical emergency.
- Shift Commander Jackson Montgomery Warren, Butler County Fire Protection District, March 6, 2026
Warren, 27, joined the Butler County Fire Protection District as a full-time firefighter in October 2021 and was promoted to shift commander on March 6, 2026. That same day, he died in the line of duty when a brush truck he was driving to respond to a grass fire crashed in a single vehicle accident.
Saturday, Oct. 3
WHAT: Candlelight vigil honoring Missouri firefighters who died serving Missouri’s fire service
WHO: Acting State Fire Marshal Matt Luetkemyer
Leaders of the Fire Fighters Association of Missouri
Families and friends of those who died
Firefighters from across Missouri
WHERE: Fire Fighters Memorial of Missouri, 5550 Dunn Drive, Kingdom City, MO 65262 (one block northwest of the I-70 & U.S. Highway 54 intersection)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3
Sunday, Oct. 4
WHAT: Memorial service honoring Missouri firefighters who died serving Missouri’s fire service
WHO: Department of Public Safety Deputy Director Troy Murdock
Acting State Fire Marshal Matt Luetkemeyer
Leaders of the Fire Fighters Association of Missouri
Families and friends of those who died
Firefighters from across Missouri
WHERE: Fire Fighters Memorial of Missouri, 5550 Dunn Drive, Kingdom City, MO 65262 (one block northwest of the I-70 & U.S. Highway 54 intersection)
WHEN: 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 4
A livestream of Sunday’s service will be provided on the Fire Fighter Memorial Foundation of Missouri Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MoFireMemorial and its YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@firefightersmemorialfounda5090/streams