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509 carries retired Melrose firefighter to final resting place
October 3-9, 2021
BY CAROL MOORMAN STAFF WRITER
C
hances are Marv Kemper rode in 1952 Melrose pumper 509 responding to calls during his 21 years as a Melrose firefighter. On Sept. 1, he rode in it one last time. Following his funeral Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Melrose, grandson Wes Kemper handed his urn to Joe Finken, Melrose Department chaplain, who handed it to firefighter Corey Bueckers who then sat in the passenger’s seat of the red pumper truck with Kemper’s urn on his lap as Finken drove the truck to his final resting place in St. Mary’s Cemetery. Bueckers stared straight ahead, his gloved hand still on Kemper’s urn, as Finken drove the truck through the cemetery behind the Patton-Schad Funeral & Cremation van, followed by Kemper’s family
Chaplain’s dream
comes true
PHOTOS BY CAROL MOORMAN
Melrose firefighter Corey Bueckers (second from right) hands Marv Kemper’s urn to his grandson, Wes Kemper, Sept. 1 during Kemper’s burial service at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Melrose, while watching is Joe Finken, Melrose firefighter chaplain, and Kemper’s grandsons, Colton Mueller (from left), Ben Kemper and Wyatt Kemper. Kemper was the first retired Melrose firefighter to be given a last ride to the cemetery. Pumper 509 was used by the Melrose Fire Department years ago for fighting fires. Melrose firefighter Corey Bueckers holds Marv Kemper’s urn while sitting in pumper 509 Sept. 1 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Melrose. Kemper responded to calls in this truck when he was a firefighter.
members. As part of this first-time solemn ceremony, Bueckers exited the truck and handed the urn back to Wes Kemper, who carried it to the burial site. Minutes later, the fire truck sirens sounded as the burial concluded. Finken was instrumental in locating
and returning the 1952 Ford F-6 pumper truck, known as 509, to Melrose, with a goal of refurbishing it and using it in parades and to bring Melrose firefighters to their final resting places. The four-year process started when Melrose City Clerk Patti
Haase located information from when 509 was purchased brand new by the city for $4,150, including an attic ladder. It was ordered March 26, 1952, and delivered on June 6, 1952. The bill of sale was signed by then city clerk Ignatius Lemm, also a firefighter.
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Finken estimated the tank held close to 250 gallons of water, compared to now when pumpers hold 750 to 1,000 gallons of water. Hoses were stored in the back and on the side.
Last ride page 2
