Ryne Kinsella, Chicago Firefighter, Loved And Remembered By Many

CHICAGO, IL — A heartbreaking couple of weeks for the Chicago Fire Department and the families of firefighters throughout the city continued when Ryne Kinsella was found dead in his home on the South Side last Wednesday. The tragedy of Kinsella's death has been particularly tough to take in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood, where Kinsella lived and was loved.

In his far too brief 28 years of life, Kinsella accomplished more than most could hope for in a life three times as long. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force, a former Chicago police officer and a second-year member of the CFD.

Beloved in the neighborhood he called home, inside both the police and fire departments and at his alma mater St. Rita High School, Kinsella was known by many. Many of those who remain in shock of his June 6 death that the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has ruled a suicide as a result of a gunshot wound to the head.

"He was a great guy," said Daniela Barraco, general manager of the Barraco's Restaurant on 111th Street in Mount Greenwood. "He would come in (to Barraco's) on a somewhat regular basis and always took care of everyone and looked out for everyone."

Kinsella was a member of the Chicago Police Department in 2016 when he decided to apply to become a firefighter in the city. In doing so he had to pass the same entry tests and requirements as civilians, CFD spokesman Larry Langford said.

His official start with the fire department was in August 2016, with his first station assignment coming in February 2017 at Engine 86 on the Northwest Side of the city according to Langford. His last day of service came on June 4, just two days before he died.

"On the night he died, I know a lot of classmates of his at the Fire Academy showed up," Langford said, noting that "he had a lot of friends" in Mount Greenwood and would often spend his off-duty time with Fire Department friends who work at the station just east of 111th Street in Mount Greenwood.

One of the days he was there while off-duty was during an incident that brought the neighborhood to the national spotlight as a result of a police involved fatal shooting. On Nov. 5, 2016 it was Kinsella who performed CPR on Joshua Beal in an attempt to keep him alive after Beal was shot by two off-duty police officers during a heated traffic confrontation on 111th Street.

Reports on the incident show that Kinsella, while off-duty, tried to keep Beal alive despite himself being bloodied as a result of an assault during the confrontation.

Putting the needs of others ahead of his own was something he often did. And something that former St. Rita President and Principal Father Tom McCarthy says is one example of how Kinsella was "a true Ritaman."

"He was a kid who so bought in to what we were all about at St. Rita," McCarthy said of the 2008 Mustang alum. "He transferred in here and jumped right in from day one."

Not only was Kinsella involved while a student at St. Rita, he kept in touch with McCarthy and other alums up until the time of his death.

"The last text I got from him is when I can back from Rome," McCarthy said, referring to his announcement in April that he would resign from the Papal Council and return to Chicago. "He said 'Welcome home, Father Tom.'"

"He was faithful to his school and would always keep in touch, come back and visit and reach out."

Dozens have made public tributes to Kinsella on various social media sites in the days after his death. A GoFundMe to help his family with funeral expenses exceeded its $5,000 goal in just two days.

The funeral will be third in less than two weeks for an active member of the Chicago Fire Department. Kinsella's death came just days after Brian Schofield, a resident of Beverly, was the victim of a fatal car crash on Interstate 57 and a little more than a week after Juan Bucio died while on-duty searching for a missing boater in the Chicago River.

Several police and fire vehicles rushed to the scene at Kinsella's home near 111th and Christiana the night of his death, an incident that was immediately reported on police scanner traffic as a Chicago firefighter's suicide.

"The Ryne I knew did not do this," McCarthy said, adding that he was "devastated" and "speechless" when he found out.

"This was Ryne in a moment of dispair, where he had a lack of hope. That's not the Ryne I know and I hope he will not be judged by this."

The Kinsella most knew is the one who would buy a round of shots for the whole bar at Barraco's, take his dog on long walks throughout the neighborhood and smile in every photo taken of him.

"He was the life of the party," Barraco said. "He made sure everyone had a good time."

Kinsella will be remembered with an open visitation beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, June 11 at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, 7740 S. Western Ave. A funeral mass will begin there at 12:15 p.m. with a burial to follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Father Bill McFarlane will lead the mass with McCarthy assisting.

"This is where our faith has to take over and trust that Ryne is in God's hands and at peace," McCarthy said. "I'm grateful to have known him and am a better man because he was in my life."

In lieu of flowers, memorials in honor of Kinsella should be made to Gold Star or 100 Club of Chicago.

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