Petrolia Volunteer Firefighters Tilly Fox, Tony Fox and Rob Johnson salute from above the Spur 510 overpass in Henrietta Friday as a Hurst carrying 1st Sgt. Russell McIlroy passes.
Clay County’s volunteer firefighters honored the son of one of their own Friday, a Bronze Star recipient who served in Afghanistan.
First Sgt. Russell Eugene McIlroy, 53, died July 8 in Clarksville, Tenn. He is the son of Gene McIlroy, a member of the Jolly volunteer Fire Department, and Covie Price McIlroy. Russell McIlroy served 32 years in the U.S. Army, where he was inducted into The Honorable Order of Saint Barbara, a military honor society of the Army and Marine Corps artillerymen.
Services for Russell McIlroy were held Monday in the chapel at Hampton Vaughn Funeral Home in Wichita Falls with Rev. Shawn Bitner officiating.
As his body was transported through Clay County, volunteer fire department personnel from Bellevue, Henrietta, Petrolia and Jolly lined Hwy. 287 and parked fire trucks on overpasses along the route.
