A former Houghton University student, who also was part of the Houghton Volunteer Fire Department and Ambulance Service, will be honored as part of National Fallen Firefights Memorial Weekend activities Saturday and Sunday in Emmitsburg, Md.
Capt. Ron McGarvey of the Waxhaw, N.C., Community Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad died in 2021 while returning home from covering his shift with his volunteer department, according to the Houghton department.
An evening candlelight service tomorrow night and a Sunday memorial service will honor the death of McGarvey and 143 other fallen firefighters from around the country, including Tracy Veno, City of Olean codes enforcement officer and firefighter, who also died in 2021.
McGarvey was a Houghton volunteer in the mid-1980s and a 1986 Houghton University graduate. He later worked with Wycliffe Bible Translators, serving for 18 years at the JAARS (Jungle Aviation and Radio Service) Center in Waxhaw in various computing roles.
A commemorative biography accompanying the tribute is available at https://bit.ly/42anruu.