April 1, 2015

City Manager Black celebrates life, work of FAO Daryl Gordon

'Truly an honor' to say a few words about 'a hero' 

City Manager Harry Black recalled the commitment to public service and sacrifice of FAO Daryl Gordon this morning during a funeral service at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in downtown Cincinnati.

Gordon died from injuries sustained while fighting a blaze at an apartment complex in Madisonville on March 26.

A 30-year veteran of the Cincinnati Fire Department, Gordon is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Below is a copy of Black's speech:

Good Morning.

It is truly an honor to be standing before you today, to say a few words about, in the most literal sense, a hero. 

Daryl’s family and friends have experienced a sudden, tragic loss. And our hearts go out to you. Although we have all lost someone close to us at some point, we still cannot begin to imagine your despair and pain. However, we stand ready to help and support you now and in the future.  

This past week has been very difficult and somewhat painful for our City family. It has pulled us together closer as a community and as a city.

None of us in City service have been hit harder than Daryl’s brothers and sisters in the Fire Department.

In the coming weeks and months, on behalf of the entire City family, we are here with you, and for you. That’s what families do.

Today is not about how we die, as each of us will, but rather how we live and what we are remembered for in our living.

Today is about Daryl Gordon.

I didn’t have the privilege of knowing Daryl, but I have come to know a bit about who he was and what he stood for.

Daryl exemplified the definition of 'public servant' on and off the job.

Let’s talk about what public service really means.

Peter 4:10 reads “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others.”

That's what Daryl did.

Public service is an admirable, often underappreciated profession.

Public servants are called to do the difficult jobs, the hard jobs that no one else wants to do nor has the courage to do.

For better or worse, in moments like today, we remember the sacrifice that our first responders make, and the risks they take on a daily basis, to keep us safe. 

They demonstrate a commitment to selflessness every time they clock in, every time they jump on that truck, every time they walk into a burning building to save lives.  

They know that every time they leave the fire house there is a possibility, as remote as it may be, they will not return. But they do it anyway, to keep us safe.

Today, we honor Daryl Gordon, we honor his profession and we honor his sacrifice.

Daryl believed in making the world a better place. You don’t walk into a burning building, looking to help your fellow man, unless you have this notion deeply woven into your DNA.

We will honor Daryl in the way we treat and interact with one another. 

And we will honor him in how we continue to support Daryl’s family, his wife and daughters and his brothers and sisters in the Fire Department, in any way necessary during this most challenging time.

You may be distraught but you are not alone.

I cannot express my gratitude for the sacrifices Daryl made over the last almost 30 years as a firefighter.

As we all try, in our own way, to make sense of this sudden loss, it is through our living that our impact will be realized in our death.

Let Daryl's death impact all of our living in a way that changes not only our lives but those around us.