LYNN — Members of the IAFF Lynn Fire Local 739 traveled to Colorado for the 38th Fallen FireFighter Memorial Service to honor Alphonzo “Al” Ancrum who died in the line of duty from occupational cancer at the age of 63.
Among members of Local 739, Ancrum’s family; his wife Tarsha, and sons Denzel and Justin were there to honor their father and accept an IAFF flag.
Ancrum’s name was one of 306 that were engraved into the International Wall of Honor in Colorado Springs, which includes names of firefighters from the United States and Canada who have died in the line of duty.
“He was a fantastic guy, a funny guy,” Local 739 President Mario Lopez said. “I hate to sound cliche, but he had this big smile that lit up the room. He was very kind.
Lopez said he had served for several decades with Ancrum and thought of him as a fantastic firefighter.
“He was a firefighters’ firefighter,” he added.
The memorial service is held every two years and within those two years, the names of firefighters across the U.S. and Canada are collected to be added to the memorial.
“It’s a very humbling emotional experience,” Lopez said.
He added seeing everyone grieve the firefighters at the memorials was a reminder that firefighters do work where it is uncertain that they will come home at the end of the day, and the stress of this reminder can take a toll on their families.
“It definitely kind of goes unnoticed,” Lopez said. He said Ancrum was a huge “loss to the family. (he’s) never forgotten within the firefighter family.”
