To the Decatur County Fire and Rescue family, we offer our sincerest condolences. Losing someone unexpectedly is never easy, as we learned last fall. It can seem as if there wasn’t any closure. You never got to say goodbye or maybe just give one final hug to your coworker and friend.

It seems unfair, especially at such a young age. He had not gotten to experience all life had to offer yet, and we’re sure some of the older firefighters watched with pride as he learned and excelled in new phases of training as time went on.

While it is unfair that we both had to lose someone close to us, it will bring a newfound closeness with our other coworkers. Everyone is experiencing some form of grief that only others in the workplace can relate to. You quickly learn to hug each other tight and look out for each other just a bit more.

He may have not said goodbye, but we have a feeling he is in Heaven telling all the other angels about the amazing group of people he got to work with and how they are sacrificing their safety for others every day.

After Hubert’s death, we dedicated a paper to his legacy. While you can’t do that, we encourage everyone at DCFR to continue to be the man that Adam looked up to and aspired to be like. Be the man that he is telling all the angels about.

He saw your courage daily and so do we. Even the most courageous person can succumb to grief during a time like this, though. We are praying for you and we understand what you are going through. We will continue to lift you up during this time and honor Adam Taylor’s legacy. Just know you are not alone during this and that “goodbyes are not forever, are not the end; it simply means I’ll miss you until we meet again.”