Sondra Hernandez Staff writer May 12, 2025

The Montgomery County Fallen Firefighters Memorial was rededicated in Conroe on Saturday morning after its move to a more visible location in the city. 

The memorial recognizes those who have died in service as a firefighter in Montgomery County. It had been at Conroe’s Lone Star Convention Center since 1998. In 2017, the memorial was updated and a statue of a firefighter was added. 

STATUE MOVED: Montgomery County Fallen Firefighters Memorial moving from convention center to Conroe veterans park

Last October, the statue was moved from the convention center to the north end of the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park at I-45 and Texas 105 in Conroe. Additions on either side of the statue were created by Bakers Signs and show pictures from the county’s fire and EMS service history.

“This has been a passion of mine for many years. To see it here today is simply amazing. It has been my passion to never forget the great men and women that have made the fire and EMS service in Montgomery County what it is today,” said Kevin Hosler, Montgomery County ESD No. 4/Needham Fire Department Chief who has headed up the project. “This memorial ensures that we honor and never forget the men and women who that paid that ultimate sacrifice.” 

Montgomery County’s fallen firefighters include Paul Skains (1976); Joe E. Novosad Sr. (1995); Curtis Davidson (2000); Charlie Flowers Sr. (2003); Gary Staley (2003), Will Wilkinson (2008) and most recently Corby McKenzie, who died in March 2024 after battling cancer related to fire service. 

Hosler said over his 43 years in fire service, he has had the distinct pleasure of serving with many of the first responders who are represented on the memorial. 

“I’m honored to have called them my friends and my colleagues,” he said. 

He chaired the memorial update in 2017 when it was at the convention center and worked with members of the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Commission including project chair from the commission, Sylvia Olszowy.

After Veterans Park opened in May 2021, a First Responders Plaza developed on the north end of the park and offered a space for the memorial to be viewed by more visitors. 

“We want the memorial to be more visible and allow for more people to enjoy it,” Hosler said when the statue was moved in October. “There are a lot of people who visit this park and (having the memorial there) will bring attention to and honor those who served and have passed.” 

MEMORIAL UPDATED: Fire chief hoping to rejuvenate Montgomery County firefighter memorial

Additionally QR codes on the memorial will help digitally tell the story of fire and emergency service in the county. 

“This gives everyone driving by the opportunity to know that we care about our first responders and we count on them,” County Judge Mark Keough said at the ceremony. 

He said the memorial allows the public to experience the history of fire service in Montgomery County, reflect and remember those who gave their lives in service, educate future generations and foster community pride. 

“That tells people what we do here in Montgomery County is we take serious sustaining life, sustaining property and the sacrifices we’re willing to make to do it,” Keough said. “These memorials are not just physical structures but powerful storytellers, educators and places of healing between the past and where we are headed.” 

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