A firefighter who died after battling COVID-19 was honored with the Dale Fire & Rescue Department leading a funeral procession on Saturday.
A large crowd of family members, friends, and firefighters from many local departments packed the Dale Town Hall and somberly lit up the streets in the Town of Dale.
The 55-year-old, Raymond Samson, also known as “famous Ray” in the community, passed away last Saturday, Jan. 22, after a long and hard fought battle against COVID-19.
Samson served as both a firefighter and driver operator for the department 16 years, whose passing has left a void at the station. At the end of the funeral, the processional looped from the Dale Fire Station on Highway 96 to County Highway T, then County TT, to County M, then on to Highway 96 circling back to the fire station. Fire trucks from other communities staged behind the Dale fire station.