Fort Worth Fire Capt. Thad Raven remembered as a dedicated father, husband & mentor

FORT WORTH — Family, friends and community members in Fort Worth paid tribute Saturday to former Fort Worth Fire Department Capt. Thaddeus Raven during his funeral at Capstone Church in Benbrook.

"I would say it was intense because we love him so much," Lt. Boris McCray said. "He played a special part in all of our hearts."

Raven died late last week at 57 years old after having a medical emergency and spending some time at a local hospital in critical condition.

He was a father to four children and recently became a grandfather. He also became like a big brother and father figure to countless recruits and firefighters in the department.

"I just want to say how much of an impact he made in my own life," McCray said. "He was a big brother to me. He filled a lot of gaps in my own life."

He served the City of Fort Worth for 25 years, working at Fire Station 14 in east Fort Worth and other stations before becoming the head of recruiting. He's credited for the department having the most diverse class of recruits in 2022 in its 129-year history.

Those who worked with Raven described him as hard-working, kind, positive and someone who mentored countless people.

"I really do want him to be remembered as a friend and a mentor, as a great father, as a great husband. He was just a great person to be around," said Deputy Chief James McAmis. "It's a profound sadness. Me and Captain Raven worked a long time together, and words just don't describe what he meant to me — not just as a friend, but as a mentor. Anytime I needed anything, I could call on him."

"I would like for him to be remembered for everything he did for the fire department, for his hard work, for his dedication to the fire department and the City of Fort Worth. His legacy will live on forever through the fire department, behind the classes that he hired," said Lt. Melvin Berry. "He was a great fireman. He had a great work ethic, then he became a captain. He came to recruitment and changed the fire department. He was fair and he believed everybody who wanted to do the job could do the job as long as they worked hard."

Captain Raven's legacy will live on through a new class of recruits graduating next Friday.  

"He was just as much and will always be a part of us moving forward. I pray that legacy remains even when I retire and that it outlives us all," McCray said.

He served in the U.S. Army as a Private First Class and went on to work in the military police at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico before his fire service.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, people make donations to Fort Worth Firefighter Charities at helpahero.com.