Sussex County volunteer firefighter Thomas W. Berry III will be laid to rest Thursday in Ellendale.
The funeral Thursday, Aug. 22, for a Sussex County volunteer firefighter who died in the line of duty is expected to include hundreds of first responders and a long line of emergency vehicles.
The procession to honor fallen volunteer firefighter and EMS logistics technician Thomas W. Berry III will assemble to take Berry to answer the traditional final call at the Ellendale and Georgetown fire departments and at the Sussex County EMS . He was 23.
Berry died Aug. 13 when he stopped on his way back to his office as a Sussex County EMS logistics technician to help at the scene of a motor vehicle collision and was killed by live power lines after helping a victim out of a vehicle that had struck a power pole.
The memorial service, with full firefighter honors, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Crossroad Community Church, 20684 State Forest Road, west of Georgetown. It’s located at the corner of State Forest Road and Seashore Highway west of Georgetown.
Friends, family, and others who wish to pay their respects may do so from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the church.
Members of the public are welcome, but seating is limited.
Firefighter tradition
Recording devices or photography are not permitted inside the sanctuary before, during or after the service, according to a press release from the family, Sussex County EMS, and the Ellendale and Georgetown fire departments. No livestreaming will be allowed either.
Those wishing to attend are encouraged to be in queue as early as possible during calling hours.
After the service, the procession — which may include 100 fire trucks, ambulances, medic units and other vehicles — to Georgetown Fire Co., Sussex County EMS offices and the Ellendale Vol. Fire Co for the ceremonial rite.
Interment will follow in the Ellendale Cemetery.
While no map is yet available for the funeral and procession, traffic is expected to be impacted significantly in the Georgetown and Ellendale areas between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Sign boards with detour information will be placed along the procession route, which includes US 113, SR 18/404, as well as numerous side streets in both communities. Visit deldot.gov for the latest traffic information.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Berry’s memory be made to any local fire company.
Letters of condolences to the family and/or any of the grieving agencies should be addressed to: The Berry Family | Ellendale Vol. Fire Co. | Georgetown Fire Co. | Sussex County EMS, c/o Sussex County Department of Public Safety, 21911 Rudder Lane, Georgetown, DE 19947
Sussex County’s Administrative Offices complex on The Circle in Georgetown will close at noon Thursday to allow for the funeral and procession around the circle.
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