By Eric Quitugua
The Times-News
KIMBERLY, Idaho — Fallen Twin Falls firefighter Ryan Franklin will be remembered by friends and family at services Saturday afternoon.
The 34-year-old was killed in a hit-and-run crash May 18 while riding his bicycle on a country road south of Kimberly.
His memorial service will be held at the Twin Falls Reformed Church at 3 p.m. and will be followed by a procession that passes Twin Falls Fire Station No. 1 before coming back to the church.
“We know there’s a lot of community support,” city spokesman Joshua Palmer said. “We’ve heard from residents trying to support the family.”
A bicycling enthusiast, Franklin was entrenched in the local cycling community as a team member on the CT Velo racing team out of Cycle Therapy.
Groups including the Magic Valley Chain Gang and one from the third-year firefighter’s hometown of Red Bluff, Calif. dedicated rides to Franklin in late May.
Franklin was also an English teacher and varsity boys coach at the Lighthouse Christian School in Twin Falls.
The procession follows the memorial service at 4 p.m., when vehicles from the city’s fire and police departments will leave the church at Grandview Drive and travel east to Pole Line Road.
The procession will then head south on Blue Lakes Boulevard and hook west through downtown before heading past Twin Falls Fire Station No. 1 and heading north back to the church.
It’s expected to end at 4:30 p.m. with brief delays along intersecting streets. Drivers are asked to yield to the procession.
Palmer said the public is welcome to show their support, but Palmer asked mourners to watch from sidewalks and areas that don’t block traffic flow.
“The only thing we’re asking is to not stop vehicles in the roadways,” Palmer said. “We’re trying to keep people safe.”
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