CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Hundreds of people came together Wednesday to honor the life of fallen Conway firefighter, Chris Ray.
Ray was killed Sunday during a call to a house fire behind the Conway Bi-Lo when he fell off a truck and the same truck backed over him.
His visitation was held Wednesday, and firefighters and emergency personnel from all across South Carolina were there to show their support.
“He was like a brother to all of us. He meant a lot to all of us. It’s hard,” said Horry County Fire and Rescue’s Robert Bibbee.
Family, friends, colleagues, and brothers all came together to mourn the loss of the six-year-veteran firefighter.
“You know, we’re hurt. We’re sad and we’re hurt,” said Assistant Chief Jeremy Carter with Conway Fire and Rescue.
Gerald Mishoe with the Firefighter Assistance and Support Team was there to help comfort those firefighters with their loss.
“They see a lot of things every day in their jobs, and it hits very close to home,” said Mishoe.
The men Ray called brothers remember him now as the jokester with a big heart and a kind soul.
“It’s a brotherhood because we’re all in it together. We’re all in it to serve the public, and at the end of the day., we’re all there for each other,” said Carter.
Carter says it’s a brotherhood that is made up of departments around the Grand Strand, the state, and the nation.
“We take great pride in that. We take great pride in that brotherhood, and when we lose one of ours it hurts really badly,” said Mishoe.
Friends and family members of Chris Ray say Wednesday’s service wasn’t about mourning his loss.
Instead, they say it’s about remembering all he gave to his department, to his friends, and the love he had for his family.
Funeral services will be held Thursday morning at 11 at Beach Church on George Bishop Parkway, and the burial will be immediately after in Green Sea.