Funeral Held For Wynnewood Firefighter Sean DeMuynck, Who Died Fighting Blaze Before Return To Canada

LOWER MERION (CBS) -- A hero was laid to rest on Saturday. Funeral services for firefighter Sean DeMuynck were held on Saturday morning in Lower Merion Township.

DeMuynck was killed while fighting a fire last Sunday.

"Selfless, kind, smart, passionate, mentor, " Penn Wynne-Overbrook Hills Fire Company Chief Ted Schmid said

Remembering DeMuynck.

Hundreds of fellow firefighters from across the region paid their respects Saturday morning. He was killed on the Fourth of July while responding to a fire in Wynnewood.

DeMuynck was on the third floor of the house on Rosedale Road when he radioed in his own distress call. He was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead a short while later. He served as a volunteer firefighter with the Penn Wynne-Overbrook Hills fire department since August 2019.

"At approximately 11:02, the worst radio transmission a fire chief can hear came across our radios," Lower Merion Fire Department Chief Chas McGarvey said.

DeMuynck was a native of Ontario, Canada, and both the American and Canadian flags were flown. He and his wife were high school sweethearts. They were set to move back to Canada the day after he was killed.

"On Sunday, I lost my best friend, lifelong teammate, and soulmate," Melissa Richard-Greenblatt, DeMuynck's widow, said. "I lost my future with the person I loved the most in this world."

DeMuynck was remembered by family, friends, and coworkers as a jokester who loved to fix things. He was an avid ice hockey player and dedicated to his job.

While grieving herself, his widow thanked his fellow firefighters for their dedication to him.

"Thank you for teaching him everything he wanted to know and thank you for being the greatest friends he could ever have," Richard-Greenblatt said.

To give the local departments times to grieve, neighboring fire departments have been answering emergency calls.

In:
• Montgomery County
• Headlines