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07/02/2005 Entry: "Firefighter dies "while on duty" in her sleep"
Show Low, Arizona. A 33 year-old firefighter dies in her sleep, on duty, at the fire station, and no details are given as to the cause? Now that's some real reporting there, by golly!
Firefighters pay tribute to one of their own
SHOW LOW, ARIZONA
While fires raged throughout the state, a quiet funeral in one small town reminded Arizonans how much they owe to those who stand between them and the flames.
Valeree Sue Reidhead Claude, 33, was one of the heroes who risk their lives to protect and serve others. She served with pride. She was honored June 29 with a full firefighter funeral, complete with an honor guard and piper.
The beautiful young wife and mother died in her sleep, without any warning, at Pinetop Fire Department Station No. 2 while she was on duty. She was the first Pinetop firefighter to die in the line of duty, and it came as a shock to her comrades. The word spread rapidly through the international fire community over the worldwide web. Condolences flowed into the Pinetop Fire Department website from nearly every state in the union and as far away as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
Her natural family, her church family, and her fire department family showed their grief and their respect in a way she would have enjoyed.
Her coffin was covered with bright yellow flowers topped with her yellow firefighter’s helmet. She made her last ride on a shiny red fire truck that morning. Fire engines from all over Arizona, as well as police cars, patrol cars, and ambulances followed her coffin in procession from Hon-Dah Junction to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Stake Center in Show Low.
As many as 600 people attended the funeral. Firefighters from local fire departments sat in blocks dressed in black uniforms. The front of the church was bright with flowers, that universal reminder of the Christian belief in the Resurrection.
Services began with the posting of the colors by the City of Mesa Honor Guard. People instinctively placed their hands over their hearts as the flag passed by to the ancient and stirring sound of the bagpipes and drums.
Scott Gentry performed an organ prelude. The LDS Primary Children sang “I Am a Child of God.” Show Low Fire Chief Ben Owens gave the Invocation, praising Valeree as “one who served and protected us.”
Valeree’s sisters and brother, Darbi Woolford, Shannon Wilson, and Dustin Reidhead; and her captain, Rob Watson, and chief, Blue Penrod, reminisced about Valeree’s brief but fun-loving life.
When she was born she looked like a blonde, blue-eyed Beanie Baby the kids had, so she was always “Baby Beans” to them. Her brother remembered cutting her hair off when she was 2 because he wanted a baby brother. Her sisters remembered that her horse loved her so much he used to follow her into the kitchen. She was competitive, whether it was in high school rodeo, volleyball, or kayaking.
Penrod said, “She always tried to be the best in everything she did. She lifted our spirits and made our day.”
Watson, who brought her into the fire department, said, “She was so careful about her appearance. There was never a hair out of place. But the first time we had training, she jumped right in and got dirty and never complained ... She was always joking, but she would have done anything for any one of the firefighters.”
Valeree is survived by her husband, Travis Claude, and two children, Chance and Chandler, as well as her extended family. An account has been set up to benefit Valeree’s children at National Bank in Pinetop.
Bishop Jeffrey Moffat comforted family and friends by saying, “We don’t know what plans the Lord has for us ... This life is a challenge for us. It was not meant to be easy.”
He asked the community as a whole to “take this family in your arms. Don’t be afraid to give the love and support they need because you don’t know what to do or say.” He asked them to “help the children grow up. It’s not easy to be a child today. Don’t let them feel left alone.”
He said, “We all need to bear each other’s burdens.”
To hundreds of people present at the funeral, Valeree’s life was a reminder that the greatest gift a person can give is themselves.
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