When the Montgomery County Fallen Firefighters Memorial moves locations in Conroe Tuesday morning, a procession of law-enforcement vehicles and fire trucks will accompany the statue to its new home.Â
The memorial statue of a firefighter and its base are currently at the Lone Star Convention Center at 9055 Airport Road in Conroe where it has resided since 2017.Â
To allow for greater visibility of the memorial, it is being moved to the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park which opened in May 2021.Â
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Elizabeth Woods, executive director of the Montgomery County Veteran’s Memorial Commission, said around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, the statue will be loaded onto a trailer with a crane and it will make its way to the Montgomery County Veteran’s Memorial Park at the southeast corner of Texas 105 and Interstate 45.Â
Procession routeÂ
The procession will travel from the Lone Star Convention Center, west on FM 3083 to Interstate 45, then south on I-45 exiting at the Texas 105 exit and continuing on the feeder road to FM 2854. The procession then will make a left on FM 2854 under I-45 and the statue and base will be unloaded on the south end of the park which is adjacent to the Central Library parking lot at 104 I-45. Per the schedule, the statue will arrive at the park around 8:30 a.m.Â
Woods said the statue will then travel through the park to its final home in the park’s First Responders Plaza on the north end of the park.Â
The memorial recognizes those who have died in service as a firefighter in Montgomery County. It has been at Conroe’s Lone Star Convention Center since 1998. In 2017, the memorial was updated and a statue of a firefighter was added.Â
Kevin Hosler, Montgomery County ESD No. 4/Needham Fire Department Chief, chaired the memorial update in 2017 and has overseen the upkeep of the memorial ever since.Â
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“Having spent my life serving as a first responder in this county, I personally knew a lot of great men and women that have served our great county and are no longer with us,” Hosler said in a September interview about the move. “Over my 42 years of service to this county I have worked alongside these great men and women and I feel that I owe them this memorial. I don’t want this county to ever forget where we came from and the men and women that served the citizens if it.”
Honoring fallen firefighters
The fallen firefighters memorial will receive an update again from Bakers Signs for placement in the park.Â
A photo display on either side of the statue will show scenes from Montgomery County’s fire-and-emergency service history. Two panels on the left and right will also recognize those listed on the pavers at the convention center without disturbing the project.Â
Montgomery County’s fallen firefighters include Paul Skains (1976); Joe E. Novosad Sr. (1995); Curtis Davidson (2000); Charlie Flowers Sr. (2003); Gary Staley (2003) and Will Wilkinson (2008).Â
During the dedication of the new memorial, the name of Corby McKenzie will be added to the fallen firefighters. His death from cancer in March has been ruled an on-duty death. He served Magnolia and South Montgomery County Fire Departments.Â
Additionally QR codes on the memorial will help digitally tell the story of fire-and-emergency service in the county.Â
For the restoration in 2017, bricks inscribed with the names of fallen firefighters, donors and fire departments, past and present were placed in front of the statue at the convention center. Hosler said these pavers will remain at the Lone Star Convention Center and a bench will be added to the area on the south side of the convention center.Â
Woods said there will be a formal unveiling for the updated memorial in the veteran’s park at a later date.Â
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