Excerpts from week.com:
Firefighters and families gathered Sunday at the Lutheran cemetery in Peoria to remember local hero, Captain Vernon “Butch” Gudat who lost his life in 1983 after a wall collapsed on him while fighting a fire on Peoria’s Main St. In his final moments, Gudat saved the life of a fellow firefighter, Mike Morrow.
Butch was the last Peoria firefighter to die in the line of duty. His children, Michael and Michelle Gudat, led the memorial. They thanked the community for returning to support them after nearly four decades.
The family and community of Sterling FD Captain Garret Ramos who died while fighting a fire in Dec 2021 also came to the service.
The Gudat’s said the loss of a firefighter in any city is like a loss from their own. They extended support to the Ramos family and the Sterling Fire Department. Ramos was survived by a wife and two daughters.
