Local sculptor Andy Thorne has been hard at work over the past year molding memories of a man who touched — and even saved — the lives of many.
If he was still alive, that man would have been his father-in-law.
Thorne is married to Amy Bennett Thorne, the daughter of Joe Bennett, a beloved, longtime career and volunteer firefighter with the Buckhannon Fire Department.
Bennett was “the backbone” of the Buckhannon Fire Department during his fire service, which spanned three decades from 1985 to 2006, BFD fire chief J.B. Kimble said recently. So when Bennett died unexpectedly following a heart attack in 2006, it left a huge hole in the hearts of his family, friends and fellow firefighters.