POMONA, N.Y. (AP) - A funeral was held Saturday for a volunteer firefighter killed last month while trying to rescue residents from a fire at an assisted living home in the New York City suburbs.
Family, friends, first responders and other invited guests gathered at a minor league baseball stadium in Pomona, New York, for a private ceremony honoring Spring Valley firefighter Jared Lloyd.
Bagpipers played and a massive American flag hung from ladder trucks parked at the entrance to Palisades Credit Union Park. The service was closed to the public and the media.
“Jared has been a good son, always loved putting his life before others, he had a passion for service since high school,” his mother, Sabrail Davenport, said in a statement. ”Even when they’re obstacles along the way, Jared always persevered, because this was his calling. Jared will always be my hero and his legacy will be forever in my heart.”
Afterward, Lloyd’s funeral procession stopped at his fire house, Columbian Fire Engine Company No. 1, for a ceremonial “last call” before his burial at Brick Church Cemetery in Spring Valley.
“His body was full of energy, his heart with pride and dedication, his calm demeanor resonated throughout the whole fire department,” said Mike Johnson, former chief of the Columbian fire company. ”His pure, selfless dedication cost him his life.”
Lloyd, 35, died on March 23 at the Evergreen Court Home for Adults. He was last heard from when he issued a mayday. He did not make it out of the building as it collapsed.
The fire also killed a male resident, who was not identified.
The home, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of New York City in Rockland County, housed 112 residents, according to its operator. Parts of the home were three stories high, and officials said some residents were trapped on floors above the fire.
Lloyd a father of boys ages 5 and 6, was among more than 100 volunteer firefighters from departments around the region who responded and worked to shepherd the residents to safety, officials said.
According to an obituary provided by the funeral home, Lloyd was born in Queens and moved in 2000 to Spring Valley, where he attended middle and high school.
He worked at a local cable company and became a volunteer firefighter in 2006, later serving as the fire company’s treasurer and second lieutenant. He also enjoyed playing softball, football and bowling, the obituary said, and cheering on the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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