Special Reports

By MALENA OGLES
Staff Writer

Hundreds stood outside Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler as the caskets of Noonday Fire Department Capt. Kevin Williams, 42, and firefighter Austin Cheek, 19, were carried by trucks they once drove to a memorial service remembering their lives.

Both men died early Friday morning while assisting fellow firefighters extinguish a house fire on Old Jacksonville Highway.

The bond that connects firefighters across the country was made visible Monday morning. Lines of men and women in uniform with black bands covering their badges brushed away tears as the memorial procession passed underneath an American flag held up by two ladder trucks.

"A firefighter's death is felt by all of us," said Dale Peterson, a volunteer firefighter for 32 years who came to mourn the loss of two men he never had the chance to meet. "Being a firefighter is in your heart. It's something you love to do."

On the front of each truck rested a fireman's uniform and hat. Black fabric covered the flashing red, yellow and blue fire truck lights.

Mourners stood silently as the trucks carrying their friends passed by - the only sounds a bell rung in remembrance and the hum of the fire truck engines.

Rough hands that at one time held an axe to break down the doors of a burning building or dragged a water hose through a field until their arms ached now held on to each other.

"I know Kevin would not have chosen this time in his life to leave us, but he certainly would have chosen this way. He loved being a firefighter," his brother Mark Williams said.

The bodies of Williams and Cheek were carried into the Sanctuary of Green Acres Baptist church under doorways that read kindness, patience and goodness. Virtues that should be possessed by all mankind, but were especially true for two men whose families said were motivated by a selfless need to serve their community and God.

"Kevin loved this community, and I know now how much this community loved Kevin and Austin," Mark Williams said.

The word to describe Williams' life was selfless. A man with few material possessions but would give away anything to help his fellow man.

"His life was about nothing but giving. His whole focus was to help people. Every job he had was a service when somebody was in need," his brother said.

Williams graduated from Berkner High School in Richardson in 1983. Shortly after he entered the United States Air Force and served during Desert Storm. His service continued as Captain of the Noonday Fire Department.

Noonday Volunteer Fire Department Chief Garry Aarant said every emergency responder in the room at one time has paid a price to keep their promise to serve.

"They simply chose to make a difference and stepped out and put themselves to a higher standard," he said.

Cheek was described as always joyful - someone who had a smile that was contagious.

Cheek graduated from Whitehouse High School last year and had aspirations to become a rescue diver and paramedic.

Douglass Dupree, a friend, was asked to speak on behalf of the Cheek family.

"We often have a distorted view of what a hero is," he said. "We need to be able to recognize a hero as one who sacrifices and puts others before himself. He is one who loves his fellow man and his community as well as his family and friends. This is what we see from Austin and Kevin and many who are sitting amongst us. These men were heroes."

Noonday volunteer firefighters stand at attention at Green Acres Baptist Church after arriving with the bodies of Kevin Williams and Austin Cheek for their memorial service on Monday.
((Staff Photo By Jaime R. Carrero))