A Good Friend & Fellow Fire Buff Passes Away

[yfdgricker]

From the Tribune Chronicle Web Site 2/29/2004...

Firefighters bury one of their own[\b]

By CHRISTOPHER BOBBY Tribune Chronicle

YOUNGSTOWN - Brass buttons glistened in the morning sun Saturday as 250 firefighters - many of them in their dress blues - stood at attention while the body of Edward Conricote entered his church for the last time.
The flag-draped coffin was hoisted from an old LaFrance parade pumper as bagpipes played.

The impressive show of respect was for the 55-year-old ''firefighting buff'' who spent most of his life admiring the work and dedication of guys he knew as ''smoke eaters.''

Conricote died Feb. 20 while battling a fire as a volunteer in Liberty Township. He fell from atop a fire engine while feeding others a hose. A coroner has yet to determine if he suffered a heart attack or a fatal head wound in the fall.

Although a volunteer, Conricote lived firefighting since he was a kid, often hanging out with full-time Youngstown firefighters in their Station No. 7, drinking coffee and swapping stories. He collected firefighting books and memorabilia. The license plate on his SUV was ''Engine 7.''

Conricote's time in the priesthood allowed him a special way of bonding and sometimes counseling firefighters as well as others. His departure from that same priesthood made little difference to people like the Rev. Timothy O'Neil, a priest with St. Patrick's Church in Hubbard.

''Ed was just a true Christian,'' O'Neil said.

O'Neil was one of 10 priests who officiated the funeral Mass at Immaculate Conception Church, where Conricote was a member.

Bishop Benedict Francetta, a retired auxiliary bishop with the Youngstown Diocese, led the clergymen. And Monsignor John Zuraw called Conricote's death ''a bright light extinguished.''

''It was a message that saddened all of us. Eddie was a man who did these acts of kindness without making news. He believed, and he lived not as a spectator. He cared and gave and helped those in need. His life reached it's earthly fulfillment,'' Zuraw said.

Retired fire Chief Jay Mulligan played the bagpipes inside the church as the body was led outside after the service.

Outside, Mulligan was joined by more pipes and drums played by firefighters from Columbus.

There was a group of firefighters from Concord and nearly every community in the Valley and as far away as Houston.

A retired firefighter from Baltimore made the trip because Conricote once drove all the way to Baltimore to visit for a couple of hours with the man - a complete stranger - before he underwent delicate surgery.

A procession of fire vehicles stretched more than a line long on the Madison Avenue Expressway on the way to Station No. 1 at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Belmont Avenue, where two ladder trucks reached high into the sky, holding the traditional American flag in between.

On the way to Station No. 1, the procession went past Station No. 7, where Conricote drank the coffee and swapped the stories at his home away from home.

cbobby@tribune-chronicle.com

[yfdgricker]

From the Youngstown Vindicator on 2/29/2004...

Hundreds mourn firefighter

The Liberty man was remembered for helping those who had troubles.

By TIM YOVICH

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — It was grand, the Irish would say, as family, friends and fellow firefighters gathered Saturday to say their goodbyes to Eddie Conricote.

"We have lost a valued member of the community and the parish," the Right Rev. John Zuraw, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, told those who had come to bid Conricote farewell.

The East Side church filled with the haunting sounds of bagpipes and flutes playing Irish music. Sun streamed through the stained-glass widows, vividly displaying the religious symbols.

Edward Patrick Conricote, 55, of Belmar Drive in Liberty Township, a township volunteer firefighter, died Monday evening while battling a blaze.

Cause undetermined

It hasn't been determined if Conricote suffered a heart attack before he fell from a firetruck or died from injuries suffered in the fall.

About 250 firefighters, including fire companies from Ashtabula and Portage counties, paid their respects.

The procession of firetrucks and other emergency vehicles was about a mile long.

In a twist, 10 priests joined Monsignor Zuraw in celebrating Mass.

One of them, the Rev. Tim O'Neill, pastor of St. Patrick Church in Hubbard, said the priests gathered to honor Conricote, a former priest.

"He was a good kid," Father O'Neill said of Conricote after the service. He noted that the fallen firefighter was more than a Catholic; he was a Christian.

Outside the church, bells pierced the chilled air to invite people inside. The coffin arrived atop a Youngstown firetruck that had an American flag waving at the end of an outstretched ladder.

As the firefighters sat in their classic dress blue uniforms inside the church, Monsignor Zuraw expressed gratitude to the firefighters for the work they do.

"Thank you for your dedication and service. We are profoundly grateful," he told them. The firefighters received a standing ovation from those not in the fire service.

He helped others

In eulogizing Conricote, Msgr. Zuraw told of the firefighter's getting involved in the lives of others.

He explained that Jesus identifies with acts of kindness.

With the hungry, thirsty and lonely, "we can't stand back and be objective observers," the monsignor said.

He said Conricote cared for others. That's why he got involved.

Conricote couldn't solve the problems of the world, the monsignor explained, but he could help the people he knew.

yovich@vindy.com

[FPO D/800]

Ed was one of the finest people that I have had the honor of calling "Friend". Rest in Peace Brother.

Scott Pelinsky
Erie, Pa

[yfdgricker]

Ok here are three of many photos. I'm working on scanning them all in now. I just wanted to get these few posted for everyone to see.

[Hazguy]

This was in the want ads section of last Sunday's Vindicator ....

[daysleeper47]

Article from 1strespondernews.com

http://www.1strespondernews.com/webpages/news/displaynews.aspx?ID=96ac71a2-60c5-4464-96d6-d2a94c847045

Liberty Twp. Firefighter Laid To Rest

By Steve Nedrich

LIBERTY TWP., OH - Liberty Township Volunteer Firefighter Ed Conricote was laid to rest Saturday at Calvary Cemetery in Youngstown. Firefighter Conricote, a 15-year veteran of the department, died in the line of duty on February 23, 2004 when he fell from an engine while pulling hose at the scene of a garage fire. The exact cause of his death has yet to be determined. Conricote was 55 years old.

He was laid to rest with full honors Saturday with over 300 firefighters from surrounding communities attending. At the cemetery, as firefighters from the Columbus Pipe band played Amazing Grace two Medevac medical helicopters flew overhead in formation to honor Ed.

Ed was a lifelong resident of Youngstown and always dreamed of becoming a firefighter. He worked for the Liberty Township Roads Department and was an avid fire buff as well as a firefighter. He was a founding member of Firepage Ohio and was well-known at Youngstown area fire stations where he often visited with firefighters. He also loved to travel and visit firehouses around Ohio as well as other cities in the U.S.

Ed was an ordained priest and served for a time as the Liberty Township Fire Departments Chaplin. At his funeral many people told stories of how Ed touched their lives with his kindness and generosity. He will be greatly missed. He is survived by his mother and brother from Youngstown and a sister who lives in Canton.