Lee Chapman and his son Robbie would have had so much to talk about when the 22-year-old got home from his first shift as a firefighter for the Bloomington Township Fire Department.

But Robbie didn’t make it home. He died the morning of Oct. 7, 2012, after an overnight shift when his vehicle veered off North Kinser Pike and hit a tree.

Grief overcame his family and friends. And also the firefighters Chapman had trained with and was working beside.

To honor their colleague, they draped black fabric across Truck No. 3, a 1990 Ford pumper, and parked it outside Allen Funeral Home during Chapman’s service.

And when it was over, they loaded his casket onto the back. The firetruck, one of 14 in the line, led the 2-mile-long funeral procession to the family cemetery where Chapman was buried.

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