CLEVELAND — Johnny Tetrick was a 27-year veteran of the Cleveland Division of Fire. On Saturday night, he responded to a motor vehicle crash and was killed in a hit and run.
Wednesday morning, Tetrick’s three daughters and his fellow firefighters gathered to honor his life at Station 22, where he worked most of his career.
His daughters spoke about their dad’s life. The middle daughter, Regan, said the whole fire crew has been supporting them through this time.
“These guys here have been unbelievably supportive towards us, they lost a brother and we lost a dad,” she said.
Some of the firefighters spoke about Tetrick as well, many growing emotional when talking about how much he meant to them. Dan Zudic, one of the Station 22 firefighters, got choked up while speaking.
“You saw that Johnny Tetrick was on the schedule, you know it was going to be a good day,” he said.
Fallon Tetrick, his oldest daughter, said that she and her sisters will continue to carry on the legacy that their dad left behind.
“He taught us to have a servant’s heart, to be gracious, to be graceful, all of the good things. Leave a place better than you found it, you name it. So, we’ll listen to him and live that out everyday,” she said.
She expressed the pride that the sisters feel to be the daughters of a firefighter.
“We were very prideful, but I don’t think anyone really understood what that truly meant to us,” said Fallon Tetrick. “We were always posting him, he did not want us to post him on anything, he did not want us to tell anybody. He just wanted to do it and not be recognized and just do it cause it was what the right thing was,” she said.
She and her two sisters are leaning on each other, as well as the other firefighters, during this time.
“They give me life. I see him in them,” said Fallon Tetrick.
A funeral will be held for Tetrick on Saturday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, with service starting at 11 a.m. ET and the doors opening at 10 a.m. The fire department hopes that the arena is filled with people so that they can honor Tetrick and the impact he had on the community.
Additionally, Willoughby Hills Friends Church will hold calling hours for Tetrick on Friday from 1-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
