I didn't know this man personally, I do, however, remember seeing him a few times at the lumber store.
Giving his life doing the job
By: Amanda Larson , The Independent 06/25/2004
Gary Archibeque
SHOW LOW - There's a heaviness inside the doors of the Show Low Fire Department. Gone is the usual joking and casual conversation. Instead, there's the gloomy quiet of men who aren't used to being emotional trying to deal with a tragedy very close to them.
In his 34 years in the fire service, Chief Ben Owens has never had to bury one of his own, but now he will.
Saturday, June 19, reserve firefighter Gary Archibeque, 39, died while on duty. He was known by his friends and family to have a big heart, but his heart wasn't strong enough in the end.
Archibeque, who had been with the department for two and a half years, suffered a heart attack while working on a chipping project with two other firefighters. Like many times before, he was putting in time on a weekend to do the job he loved.
"He loved it," said Assistant Chief Ed Lindquist. "He loved what we did and he loved the guys and the camaraderie. He just liked being here and doing the job."
Fellow firefighter Conrad Loney agreed. "He felt a bond with the guys here," he said.
Archibeque took shifts that needed to be filled, he helped with fire education and public relations, and he traveled out of state to put out wildland fires. He also worked hard on the Rodeo-Chediski Fire.
Archibeque was known for his determination. The son of a firefighter, he had been a volunteer firefighter in New Mexico before moving to the White Mountains a few years ago.
Eager to continue, he enrolled in fire school through the Show Low Fire Department. When personal problems kept him from doing well, he decided to step back for awhile, then re-enrolled in and finished the next session. He wasn't a quitter.
Two years ago, Gary married his wife, Stacy, at Fool Hollow Lake, in a fire department ceremony, complete with uniforms and an engine. With that ceremony, he rounded out his life to include not only his older daughter Erin, but Stacy and two step-children, Shawn and Amber. He also had a 2-year-old grandson.
"Gary was a dedicated father, a loving husband and a great firefighter," said friend and fellow firefighter Clint Brown. "Gary loved to laugh and hang out with his friends, but most of all he loved being with his family."
Archibeque worked full-time at Foxworth Galbraith, but dedicated a lot of his time to the fire department. He hoped to one day be a full-time firefighter.
Recently, he'd been plagued with hip problems that caused him to walk with a pronounced limp. Though he was in pain, he wanted to do the job so badly that he tried to complete a pack test, a physical agility test required for wildland firefighting.
Firefighter Chris Jessop remembers that day.
"He went around the first lap, and he was behind the average time he needed to be to make it. I told him he needed to step it up a little. The next lap he came around even slower, and by the third lap, he shook his head and grinned as he approached me and said, 'I'm not making it, am I?' I told him he could quit if he wanted to, and he said he didn't want anyone to think he didn't try.
"That's just the kind of guy he was. He was out there trying when guys who were perfectly fine were whining about it. It was really touching to me, even at the time."
Captain Jerald Whipple also remembers his perseverance.
"Gary was on shift with me one day and we were up at the gym playing racquetball," he said. "I knew Gary was having troubles with his hip, so I was kind of taking it easy on him. He stopped and looked at me and said, 'If you don't quit hitting the ball where I can hit it, I'm going to stop playing with you.' He didn't want you to ever take it easy on him. He didn't want you to treat him any different."
When he could no longer work on the front lines in fires because of his hip problem, Archibeque took on any job he could at the fire department. He went to schools and taught fire prevention and volunteered to put on Fourth of July fireworks. He did public relations during parades and open houses, helped with training and he took on less grueling projects, like the chipping project he was on when he died.
"He was going to do this no matter what," said Lindquist. "He didn't want to be left behind. He helped with everything he could help with. He was always one of the first people to volunteer."
Earlier in the day on Saturday, Archibeque had complained of what he believed was indigestion. At around noon, another firefighter who was on severity patrol nearby, brought him medication for heartburn. Archibeque continued to work with his usual good attitude.
Around two o'clock, though, a nearby homeowner noticed Archibeque was bent over. He approached him, and Archibeque collapsed. Two other firefighters, both of whom had just graduated from fire school, ran to his side and, along with the homeowner, performed CPR. An ambulance was called, and the on-duty fire engine raced to the lot. The severity crew also raced back to help.
"Everybody was doing everything they could for Gary before we got there even," said Whipple, who was on the engine that day.
"You hate to say that you knew things weren't going in his favor, but ... things did not look good."
Despite intense efforts by firefighters, paramedics and emergency room staff, Archibeque could not be saved. He was pronounced dead at Navapache Regional Medical Center at 2:40 p.m.
Outside the emergency room, firefighters who'd heard the tragedy over the radio came in from off duty to join those already waiting for word. Archibeque's body was brought out, covered with a flag, and was wheeled past a long line of his comrades.
There wasn't a dry eye in the crowd.
"We just never know when it's going to be our time to pass on," said a morose Whipple. "It just shows you that you need to appreciate life more. I think we all take it for granted."
"Any one of you that helped need to know that Gary loved every one of you like a brother and he would have done the same," said Brown, who was a very close friend. "God bless all of you."
"The guys are drained. They're fatigued," said Whipple. "At the same time, as a crew and as a department, they've been able to pull together."
Other firefighters are pulling together for them, too. Pinetop, Lakeside, Linden and Forest Service firefighters came right away to offer support, and it continues to pour in.
Fifty-five other departments have expressed their willingness to participate in Friday's funeral services, which will include the Mesa and Surprise Fire Department Bag and Drum Corps, the Mesa Honor Guard, a multi-agency helicopter fly-over, and hundreds of firefighters from across the state.
The funeral Mass will be held at St. Rita's, 1400 E. Owens, in Show Low on Friday at 2 p.m. At approximately 3:10 p.m., fire engines will lead a procession, followed by firefighters who will be escorting Archibeque's casket to Owens Mortuary. They are expected to travel from the Deuce of Clubs near Northland Pioneer College to Cooley to Owens Mortuary.
The Gary Archibeque Memorial Fund has been established to help his family. The account, #00465050316, is located at Bank of America.
Dennis
and of course, WHO do THEY call when THEY need help? AH WELL.....can't win 'em all!