Tribune-Review
YOUNGWOOD BOROUGH, Pa. — Efforts are under way to name a highway interchange after a fallen Youngwood firefighter.
In a 48-0 vote last week, the state Senate passed a bill introduced by state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, to rename the Route 119 and Interstate 70 interchange after Edwin Jeffrey “Lance” Wentzel.
The bill moved to the House transportation committee, with a vote by the full House anticipated in a few weeks.
“I think it’s a nice tribute,” said Lloyd Crago, borough fire chief and Wentzel’s friend. “As people drive by and see the sign, they’ll remember him, remember what he did.”
Wentzel, 57, died March 22, 2014, after he was struck by a train in North Versailles while he and other emergency responders were searching for a missing woman.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death an accident.
Wentzel volunteered at Ground Zero after the 9/11.
“Wentzel was a native of Youngwood and a well-respected 35-year veteran of the Youngwood Volunteer Hose Co. No. 1,” Ward’s bill states. “Mr. Wentzel held numerous line officer and board positions within the department during his lengthy service and was named the 2012 Youngwood Firefighter of the Year.”
Crago said he and Ward began talking about some kind of dedication in Wentzel’s memory about a year ago. Youngwood does not have a state-owned bridge or road without a designation in someone’s name, so the interchange was selected, Crago said.
Wentzel’s widow, Judi, is honored by the tribute to her late husband’s memory “for what he did in the community,” Crago said.
Ward praised Wentzel for his public service.
“It’s only fitting for us to remember his service,” she added.
In October, Wentzel’s name was added to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation monument during a ceremony in Emmittsburg, Md. He was among 84 firefighters who died in the line duty and were honored.
In December, firefighters dedicated a granite memorial to Wentzel outside the Youngwood fire station.
The fire department has set up a scholarship in his name at Westmoreland County Community College.
Youngwood Area Business Association holds a run each spring in Wentzel’s memory. He was an avid runner.
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