FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 8, 2004
FURTHER INFORMATION:   Jeff Zack (202) 824-1506 (O),
                                              (202) 360-9778 (Cell);
                                              Jim McBride (202) 824-1566 (office)

Eulogy of Katherine Malone and Tye Brown

General President Harold Schaitberger
International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO/CLC

Kansas City, KS - One of the great Greek philosophers, EpiCurus, said, "It is possible to provide security against other ills, but as far as death is concerned we men live in a city without walls." Today is an especially difficult day for all of us here as we mourn the loss of Kathy Malone and Tye Brown. The senseless murder of these two coworkers and friends has stunned every one of us. We must acknowledge the manner of their passing, the utter shock and tragedy of it to see and feel again their vibrant and giving lives. Those who chose “emergency response service” as a career know it’s more than a job, it’s a calling totally dedicated to others and its noble workers are those willing to put themselves in harm’s way for their fellow citizens.

And so, it’s hard to come to grips to understand the merciless killing of two people whose job it is to save the lives of others. In this post 9/11 world, in addition to the constant risk of terrorism, our members are faced daily with threats from catastrophic wildfires to infectious diseases to deadly ambushes to acts of domestic violence to perils of the unknown. The fire fighters and paramedics assembled in this beautiful church, as well as those who stand ready all across this country, know full well what they are doing, the danger and sacrifice they may face. The risk to their own personal safety is an unavoidable occupational hazard for first responders.

Just last month, paramedics and fire fighters in Kansas City were ambushed by gunfire as they arrived at the scene of a fire and explosion. Sister Mary Seymour was seriously wounded in that senseless attack and with extraordinary bravery her Brothers and Sisters from Local I-34 and Local 42 risked their lives while still taking live fire in saving hers. Even knowing they may face these types of incidents, my members put themselves on the line again and again for the good of all human life and when the loss of one of our members occurs, we see and feel the devastating impact it has on their family and colleagues left behind, because we are also their family.

I know this first-hand because we at the International Association of Fire Fighters have the unenviable and tremendous responsibility of dealing with our union member’s line of duty deaths all too frequently. None of us will know the exact hour that we will depart this world nor the circumstances of our leaving. And as we struggle with the insanity of last Saturday mornings needless violence, it cannot, and must not overwhelm our memory of the goodness of Kathy and Tye’s lives and the wonderful effect they had on those around them. It is heartbreaking to see the waste of two wonderful lives. We cannot help but be bewildered this day as we ponder how Kathy and Tye two people of such devotion worth and merit can be so savagely torn from us.

As if our grief at their loss were not heavy enough, the circumstances of their loss only adds to the burden we bear.

It seems to me and must to you that justice surely due these two who were themselves just is sorely lacking this day.

Some of us will wonder why fate choose Kathy and Tye and some of us will simply believe it was God’s will. There is much in life that we cannot avoid control or change but we can dedicate ourselves to the task of living for those who have gone before us.

I ask today that we commit ourselves to do so for the families, especially the children for whom seeking to understand this tragedy is surely an insurmountable task. In talking to Kathy and Tye’s friends, family, co-workers, and those they helped, a consistently clear picture is reinforced of two people grounded in their work, always ready to give what was needed and never needing to be asked along the way. Sarah Tufty, a paramedic who worked with Kathy and Tye, recalled how they considered every run the most important. “No two people loved their jobs more,” she said.

So today, we must take special care to honor the memories of Kathy and Tye.

They weren’t just co-workers they were family.

Their lives should not be summed up by their deaths. This tragedy is only how their lives ended. The true sum of their lives was their choice to serve others and care for human kind they both made a personal and professional decision to spend their lives tending to those truly in need. If we are rewarded for our good deeds on this earth, surely Tye and Kathy will want for nothing in the eternity of their new home in heaven.

By all accounts Kathy was an exceptional human being, full of energy and always willing to go the extra mile for friends, family and patients. A paramedic with MAST for the last seven years, she looked forward to a long and accomplished career, and always ready to learn more about the job she loved. Her dedication, courage and commitment set an example among her colleagues. Her coworkers will tell you “she was the one you’d want to be looking down at you if you were in need of medical treatment.”

Take pride in knowing that she lived life to the fullest and that she had such a positive influence on so many others.

I know these words ring hollow for the Malone family, her mother, Mary Jane Malone; her birth mother, Mary Havens; sisters Heather and Melissa; and the rest of her family have lost a loving daughter sister aunt granddaughter. Their sense of emptiness and pain is unfathomable for those of us who are here to share their grief and comfort them.

Tye served as an emergency medical technician for just five years but public service was in his blood. His brother, Devlin a fire fighter with Local 64 in Kansas City, will tell you that “his Brother used to work as much as he could he just liked to work.” In addition to his dedication to public service as an EMT, Tye served our country as a combat medic in the National Guard. Whether on active duty in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq or Germany or in his role as an EMT here, Tye always went the extra mile to make sure whatever he did, he did as best he could. Garrett and Tiffani, his young children, should always remember that their dad was a good person who made helping people his life’s work.

He may be gone from this earth but he will still be with you and with all of us for all time. Take solace in knowing that his professional and personal life was marked by courage, character, and selfless dedication. There is a saying that the brave too often must die, but death cannot erase their names. The memories of Kathy Malone and Tye Brown are already etched in all of our hearts. Everyone here will long remember them for their professionalism and dedication to duty. Albert Pike, a Civil War general and a crusader for justice, said, “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."

These two have left an imprint on the world touched everyone here today and thousands more over their lifetimes. Their loss is heaven’s gain. Although, I know that nothing I say here today can begin to fill the void in their loved ones lives or ease the grief and the anguish over this devastating loss, I bring you sincere condolences from the 263,000 men and women of the International Association of Fire Fighters and the promise that our union is there for you now and in the years to come.

And if you listen closely with your hearts, you will feel the presence of Kathy and Tye today tomorrow and for the rest of your lives. They may be gone from this earth but they are still with us in our hearts and memories for all time. As we have gathered together today as one group in our grief, let us also join as one to comfort and protect the families of Kathy and Tye in the days ahead. As they were our Sister and Brother and part of our IAFF family, you their loved ones, will always be part of our extended family.

When all of the eulogies are finished, the IAFF will be here for you today, tomorrow, next week, next year, and for years to come. Our union has built a living memorial to the memory of every IAFF member who makes the ultimate sacrifice.

That monument is to improve the lives of those that choose this courageous profession and to work to increase their safety in this dangerous business of ours.

Today in the shadow of those we have lost, we continue to lay the foundation for that monument together in their memory as their legacy. Take comfort and pride, too, in knowing that Kathy and Tye’s names will be engraved on the granite walls of the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs so that generations to come will remember their sacrifice and yours.

Kathy and Tye made their living giving their lives for others. We must now give their death meaning by learning from their lives. We all should strive to make contributions to society in our lifetimes to our families loved ones those who depend on us.

And so, to those who have selflessly given their lives for the good of their fellow man their tasks completed, their duties well done, to Kathy and Tye their last alarm they are going home. From your brothers and sisters in the IAFF, we say good-bye to our comrades.

Thank you for the gift of your life may you rest in peace God Bless You.

About the International Association of Fire Fighters

The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, DC, is the 16th largest union among the 64 national unions that makeup the AFL-CIO. The IAFF represents more than 263,000 full-time professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel who protect 80 percent of the nation’s population. More than 2,900 affiliates and their members protect nearly 6,000 communities in every state in the Unites States and every province in Canada.