Missouri memorial services to honor fallen firefighters this weekend

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

KINGDOM CITY, Mo., (KBSI) — Five Missouri firefighters, including Whitewater Fire Chief Garry Glenn Moore and Butler County Shift Commander Jackson Montgomery Warren, will be honored Sunday during a memorial service recognizing firefighters who died in the line of duty.

The service begins at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 4 at the Fire Fighters Memorial of Missouri, 5550 Dunn Drive in Kingdom City. A candlelight vigil honoring Missouri firefighters who died while serving their communities begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3.

Gov. Mike Kehoe has proclaimed Oct. 4 Missouri Fire Service Memorial Day.

“Our communities are immeasurably safer because of the brave and faithful service of Missouri’s firefighters, who run toward danger without hesitation,” Kehoe said.

The Fire Fighters Memorial Foundation of Missouri board recently recognized five firefighters’ deaths as line-of-duty deaths and approved adding their names to the memorial’s Wall of Honor:

– Capt. Andrew Stephen Donner, Fort Osage Fire Protection District: Donner, 36, died Aug. 27, 2019, of occupational cancer. He began his career with the Prairie Township Fire Protection District and served a total of 12 years in the fire service.

– Heavy rigging specialist Larry Roland Duncan, Missouri Task Force 1: Duncan, 64, died Jan. 15, 2025. He began his firefighting service in 1984 and served with several Missouri fire districts. His deployment to Ground Zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks led to his line-of-duty death, according to the announcement.

– Fire Chief Garry Glenn Moore, Whitewater Fire Protection District: Moore, 68, died April 2, 2025, while responding to a tornado in Delta.

He began volunteering as a firefighter and emergency medical technician in the 1970s and became Whitewater’s fire chief in the mid-1990s.

– Firefighter Lee Michael Kraus, St. Louis Fire Department: Kraus, 52, died July 1, 2025, after suffering a medical emergency. He dedicated 31 years to public service, first as an EMT and then as a St. Louis firefighter beginning in 1998.

– Shift Commander Jackson Montgomery Warren, Butler County Fire Protection District: Warren, 27, died March 6, 2026, when the brush truck he was driving to a grass fire crashed. He joined the district as a full-time firefighter in October 2021 and was promoted to shift commander the day he died.

Sunday’s ceremony will also remember other Missouri firefighters who have died.

Acting State Fire Marshal Matt Luetkemeyer said the services honor the fallen firefighters’ bravery, dedication and commitment to public service.

Families, friends and firefighters from across Missouri will attend both events, along with leaders of the Fire Fighters Association of Missouri. Department of Public Safety Deputy Director Troy Murdock will also participate in Sunday’s service.

In case of inclement weather, both events will move to Auxvasse Elementary School, 650 E. Harrison St. in Auxvasse.

Sunday’s service will be livestreamed on the foundation’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.