By Dan Nephin
LNP
LANCASTER, Pa. — Gladdie McMurtrie is listed on Lancaster EMS’s new Wall of Honor twice, once as a volunteer or member serving 25 or more years with the organization or its predecessors and again, along with her husband, Chris McMurtrie, as major donors.
McMurtrie, a retired nurse, became an EMT in the 1980s and volunteered with the West End Ambulance, which became part of Lancaster EMS’ predecessor, LEMSA, in 1999. She joined LEMSA as board member in 1999 and has remained a board member and served as president for 20 years.
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“I’ve always been somebody that’s been involved in giving back to my community. I’ve just always felt that’s a responsibility, and being in the medical profession, I always loved the emergency part of it,” McMurtrie, 83, of East Hempfield Township, said at Friday’s dedication of the new Wall of Honor.
“I think when you’re in medicine, it’s that desire to help people, so people can get better. And then my husband and I have always been supporters of agencies that involve children and or medicine,” McMurtrie said.
The wall is alongside Lancaster EMS headquarters at 715 Fairview Ave. in Lancaster city, visible on someone’s left as they walk from the parking lot to the building. It is made of gray tile with bronze plaques, designed and provided at cost by Charles F. Snyder Funeral Homes & Crematory and its Heritage Monuments division.
The wall also recognizes people who have died in the line of duty. There are three.
On Nov. 4, 2014, Larry Joe, 63, was on his way to work at Lancaster EMS station in Strasburg when he crashed his truck in West Lampeter Township. He died at Lancaster General Hospital the next day after complications arose following surgery.
On June 13, 1981, St. Joseph Hospital paramedics Bruce Ditlow, 24, and Kevin Weatherlow, 23, who were best friends since high school, were overcome by fumes while rescuing a boy who had gotten trapped in a septic tank in School Lane Hills.
Jeffrey Jones, 18, a Bausman Fire Co. volunteer, also died. The boy survived.
“These three men made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. They answered calls for help without hesitation. They responded in moments of crisis, fear, tragedy, and uncertainty — bringing compassion, skill, and hope to everyone they touched,” Bob May, executive director of Lancaster EMS, said Friday during the dedication.
May said the wall is a “permanent reminder that courage matters. Service matters. Sacrifice matters. It reminds us that behind every uniform is a human being who chose a life devoted to helping others, even at great personal risk.”
Lancaster EMS has wanted a wall of honor for a long time, May said, and its headquarters — which had its grand opening a year ago — was a most fitting location. The event coincided with National EMS Week.
Kathy Snyder Guidos, who coordinated the project, thanked Lancaster EMS “for entrusting us to help you with this wonderful dedication.”
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