Fallen Pittsburgh Fire Battalion Chief John Walsh remembered as a "top-notch firefighter" and great teacher during funeral service
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Fallen Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Battalion Chief John Walsh was laid to rest on Monday following a funeral Mass at St. Paul Cathedral in the city's Oakland neighborhood.
Chief Walsh died last week of a medical emergency while in command of a fire scene in the city's East Hills neighborhood.
A funeral procession departed from Slater Funeral Home in Scott Township around 9 a.m. and traveled along the Parkway West, through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and along the Parkway East.
Bagpipes and bells echoed in Oakland, marking the end of a life of service for Chief Walsh, who was part of the bureau for almost four decades.
"Just grateful that they shared him with us for the last 37 years," Fire Chief Darryl Jones said.
The funeral Mass reflected on a life of duty, honor and commitment. The homily encouraged the hundreds inside St. Paul Cathedral to remember that Chief Walsh is still with them and watching over them.
"He taught us resilience, and we're going to be resilient. Working together, we will get through this," Chief Jones said.
The eulogy remembered how Walsh came back to work after suffering third-degree burns in 1994 and mentored so many firefighters serving the community today. Even in the somber service, there was still time to have some laughs and even toast to Walsh on a life well lived.
"We have a sometimes dark sense of humor. It's a coping mechanism that we have," Chief Jones said about the first responders' humor.
Walsh was awarded the firefighters union's medal of honor for his sacrifice. It was presented to his wife of 36 years. With one final salute, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire will never forget the legacy their beloved battalion chief leaves behind. It's a legacy worth continuing.
"That's our job now. We have a task to continue to honor him, to grow upon what he left us," Chief Jones said.
Following the service, Chief Walsh was laid to rest at Holy Savior Cemetery in Gibsonia.
"A firefighter's firefighter"
Rolling under the hero's arch of the stars and stripes of the American flag, Walsh started his final journey on Monday morning. The long and somber firefighter procession started in Scott Township where the flag was draped across two fire trucks and headed towards the city.
The hearse was followed by Walsh's family, friends and firefighting family.
McKeesport Fire Chief Jeffery Tomocsik was one of the many firefighters who joined in Walsh's funeral procession.
"I did have the pleasure of meeting Chief Walsh," Tomocsik said. "Chief Walsh was a great guy, a salt of the earth kind of guy. From what I recall, he loved his job; he was a firefighter's firefighter."
Firefighters from McKeesport, as well as from all over Pennsylvania and neighboring states, came to see this veteran firefighter off.
"It's a tight group, just emergency services in general. When something happens within the community, within our group, it's felt by everybody," Tomocsik said.
One of those community members, Thomas Cook, traveled all the way from Harrisburg. He also happens to be a former City of Pittsburgh firefighter and now Pennsylvania state fire commissioner.
"There are people here to send John on his way," Cook said. "Firefighting is one of those crafts that's learned through experience, so when you have a gentleman like John that spent 37 years on the job, he is irreplaceable."
Both Cook and Tomocsik indicated that it is now those who Walsh mentored to carry on his tradition of helping young firefighters learn the ropes.
"He was a great guy and a great firefighter," Cook said. "A really top-notch firefighter. He's going to be missed deeply by everybody involved."
"I think the world has lost a great man."
A final salute for Chief Walsh was held Sunday evening near the end of the viewing services with dozens of firefighters packing into the funeral home to say their goodbyes and pay their respects.
One of his family members told KDKA that Chief Walsh died doing what he loved. Another said that it was humbling to learn how he helped so many around him.
"I think the world has lost a great man, a great firefighter, someone that truly cared about Pittsburgh, cared about his city, cared about helping people, cared about his family, and just a great person in general," said Rich Baur, Chief Walsh's nephew.
Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Chief Darryl Jones said that Chief Walsh was an excellent leader and a great person.
Traffic restrictions for Chief Walsh's funeral procession
Pittsburgh Public Safety officials announced planned road closures ahead of Monday morning's funeral procession and mass.
Fifth Avenue in Oakland was closed from Bellefield Avenue to Wilkins Avenue starting at 8 a.m. and the closure was lifted when the service ended.
Other streets around Fifth Avenue were closed to help keep traffic out of the area.
PRT says that buses on select routes in Oakland will be detoured during the funeral mass.
No parking was allowed along Fifth Avenue between Bellefield and Wilkins from 6 a.m. through the end of the service around noon.