By Danza Johnson
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo, Miss.
BOONEVILLE, Miss. — Richard Lee Montgomery was described by dozens of people on Saturday as a dedicated and unselfish hero.
Montgomery, a captain of the Pisgah Volunteer Fire Department and a member of the Hobo Volunteer Fire Department, was laid to rest laid to rest with honor at Oaklawn Memorial Park by many colleagues, friends and family. He died on New Year’s Eve while fighting a house fire in Marietta.
Nearly two dozen fire trucks and dozens of emergency vehicles from throughout Northeast Mississippi joined the procession to the cemetery.
Hobo Fire Chief Randal Livingston said Montgomery, 54, was a very dedicated fireman.
“He was always ready to fight the fire,” said Livingston. “He believed in fighting fires and did a good job the whole 15 years he was here with us. He’d go anywhere in the county to put out a fire and would be the first one there. We’ll really miss him. He was a great fireman and a great person.”
Montgomery’s final call came in Wednesday about a structure on fire on County Road 4040, just north of Marietta in southwest Prentiss County. After exiting the burning home, Montgomery collapsed and died from a possible heart attack.
When the Emergency 911 dispatcher spoke across the airways to give Montgomery a special “last call” on Saturday, several family members became emotional.
“This is it,” one fireman said, “the last call.”
After the ceremony was complete, several firemen stood around trading stories about their friend -- a U.S. Army veteran and a fisherman.
“That’s one thing about firemen,” said Justin Blaylock of Booneville. “They are a tight-knit group and they always come together. Just hate this had to be why everyone is together today.”