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Providing Fire and EMS services for the City of Avon. |
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Avon Fire Department |
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Remember Kevin Criss |
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Kevin Ray Criss, 31, of Wellington, died Monday, August 16, 2010, from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. He was born January 28, 1979 in Elyria to Kenneth and Gloria (nee Morales) Criss. Kevin graduated from Firelands High School with the Class of 1997. For the past eight years, Kevin had been a resident of Penfield Township. He served as a Firefighter for the Avon Fire Department for the past four years. Kevin played softball and enjoyed bowling and deer hunting. He also loved riding his motorcycle. Survivors include his wife of 12 years, Rhianna (nee Kanzeg); son, Coltin; parents, Gloria and Kenneth Criss of Amherst and a sister, Carrie Susak. Kevin was preceded in death by his grandparents, Alejo Morales and Juana Arroyo Morales, Bertha Lane and Granville Criss. Criss, 31, chose to be a firefighter to help others while putting his own life on the line, said the Rev. Chris Reutepohler of Penfield Community Church. It is not a profession everyone would choose, he said. Most people run from a fire, but a firefighter runs toward it, he said. “When you’re a firefighter, you’re a little bit crazy,” Reutepohler said. “On any given day, he might be called upon to give his life. What makes a person do that - to put themselves on the line and make that ultimate sacrifice?” Reutepohler said he had no answers, but Criss is in a better place now. “He’s standing face to face with Jesus and is probably swapping stories about selfless love and exchanging your life for others,” he said. The pastor told mourners that the funeral and luncheon at the church was a time to remember Criss’ sense of humor, love for his family and enjoyment of softball, deer hunting and motorcycle riding. “He loved his motorcycle - he felt free while riding his motorcycle,” Reutepohler said. “He loved to joke around and rib people. Above all, Kevin loved his family and friends. Laughter should outweigh these tears … he lived 31 happy years.” Several hundred people attended the funeral, including an estimated 90 to 100 firefighters, police officers and dispatchers. A large photo of Criss in his dress uniform was placed to the left of the casket along with his firefighting gear tossed into a pile - as if Criss had just taken it off. White roses were scattered nearby. The 30 members of the Avon Fire Department each saluted slowly as they stood over the casket. Other firefighters also paid tribute in the solemn procession, some stoically and others biting back tears or sobbing. Outside, an honor guard, some bearing shiny ceremonial firefighters’ axes, paid tribute. They gently folded a large flag into a crisp triangle for Criss’ wife, Rhianna, who carried the couple’s young son, 2-year-old Coltin. Bagpipe music from Cleveland’s Pipes and Drum Corps filled the air. Pallbearers - including Criss’ close friends at the Fire Department, Joe Reising and Mike Foreman - placed his casket into Avon’s first fire engine, a 1932 International, which carried him to Penfield Cemetery for burial. The sight of Coltin in his mother’s arms tugged at the heartstrings of many because the resemblance to his father was so strong. “His eyes look just like his father’s,” said Jim Born, whose sons attended Firelands High School with Criss. Avon fire Lt. Brett Bruehler said a memorial fund to assist young Coltin has been set up and people may donate at any branch of Fifth Third Bank. The boy’s future was on the minds of many. One person left a card with the words “for Coltin’s college fund” on the powder blue envelope. Bruehler said the boy was very brave during the funeral, and immediately noticed his dad’s photograph. “I heard him say, ‘There’s Daddy,’ and I heard him say, ‘Daddy went bye-bye,’ ” Bruehler said. |
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Firefighter/Paramedic |
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Kevin Criss |
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Kevin Criss January 28, 1979 to August 16, 2010 |
