PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A former police chief and a firefighter who previously served Prince George's County will be honored Friday during a statewide Fallen Heroes Day event.
The 41st annual Fallen Heroes Day observance will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at the Fallen Heroes Memorial at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. The ceremony honors Maryland police, firefighters, corrections officers and emergency medical/rescue personnel who died in the line of duty.
Currently, 85 members of the public safety community are buried at the Fallen Heroes Memorial. Including this year’s observance, a total of 243 fallen heroes will have been honored at the annual ceremony.
According to organizers, it is the only statewide ceremony in the nation that brings together all segments of the public safety community. Fallen Heroes Day, which is held each year on the first Friday in May, also offers a chance for the public to show their appreciation for those who risk their lives every day to protect the citizens of Maryland. Family members of those being honored will be in attendance.
Former Chief Edward E. Ivey, Jr. of the Fairmount Heights Police Department will be honored Friday. He's been described by colleagues as a "natural leader and pillar" of the community who served the citizens of Prince George’s County for 28 years.
Nita Walden, spokesperson for the event, told Patch that Ivey was posthumously recognized for his leadership and excellence of service with a Hall of Fame Award from the Police Chief’s Association of Prince George’s County.
"He was a mentor, a loyal friend and a good neighbor. Chief Ivey was also a man of profound faith, serving as a bishop and as a police chaplain, which earned him the nickname ‘Chap,'" is how he was described by others, Walden shared with Patch.
Ivey passed away due to an occupational illness at age 60 on June 14, 2022.
Fire technician Jesse W. McCullough, Prince George's County Fire/EMS, served more than 10 years in the fire service. He started as a volunteer firefighter in Prince George's County before joining the Baltimore City Fire Department.
In 2013, McCullough was hired by Prince George’s County where he was assigned to Company 830 - Landover Hills, serving as a firefighter and engine driver. He passed away Oct. 9, 2018.
"Firefighter Jesse McCullough, who was loved and admired by all who knew him, succumbed to occupational cancer at the age of 41," event organizers shared with Patch.
The ceremony will open with a procession of honor guard units from across the state, mounted units and motorcycle police. During the ceremony, the families of the fallen heroes will be presented with a replica of the Fallen Heroes Memorial and a resolution from the Maryland General Assembly.
“It is with enduring respect and gratitude that we honor those who have sacrificed their lives in service to our communities. The first responders we will honor on May 1 and those we have honored over the past 41 years will never be forgotten,” said Jack Mitchell, president of Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.
The ceremony will conclude with a wreath placement, followed by a 21-gun salute, Taps and a fly-over. The bell that is housed on Maryland’s 9/11 Rolling Memorial will toll as each of the fallen heroes and all Maryland first responders who have made the ultimate sacrifice are honored.
The ceremony is open to the public and will be held rain or shine. The Fallen Heroes Memorial is located within Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, 200 East Padonia Rd., Timonium.
In 1976, Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens set aside burial spaces for fallen heroes and their spouses. The first observance of Fallen Heroes Day was May 16, 1986. It was later moved to the first Friday in May. In 1990, the Maryland Legislature passed a resolution calling for a statewide yearly commemoration of first responders, a day on which Dulaney Valley hosts a memorial service.
In 2007, the 70 acre cemetery was purchased by John O. Mitchell, III of the family-owned Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home in Rodgers Forge/Towson, Maryland. The Mitchell family still today continues the tradition of the Fallen Heroes Day ceremony.
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