The Worthington Times

Members of the Worthington-Jefferson Township Volunteer Fire Department were out to honor fellow firefighter Dennise Leslie of Freedom, Indiana, a member of our  neighboring Coal City Volunteer Fire Department.  She was killed in the line of duty last Monday enroute to a fire.

After a memorial service at the Owen Valley School in Spencer, the funeral procession carrying her to her final resting place in Coal City traveled through Worthington.  Many townspeople were out to show their respect as well as other nearby fire departments including Jasonville and Bloomfield.

The Jasonville and Bloomfield Fire Departments positioned their ladder trucks on either side of Main Street, beside the WJVFD Fire Station and hung a giant U.S. flag between them so that Dennise's procession would travel under the flag as it came around the Triangle and proceeded through Worthington.  WJVFD trucks blocked traffic at the corner of Main and Jefferson.

The line of fire trucks in the procession was impressive - Wayne Township, Clay City, Spencer, Ellettsville, Wright Township, Richland-Taylor, Gosport, Bloomington, Highland Township, Patricksburg, Charleston, and many, many more.

Additional pictures from today's procession are below.

(Main trucks in all of these pictures include trucks from Ellettsville Volunteer Fire Department, Bloomfield Volunteer Fire Department, Patricksburg Volunteer Fire Department, Gosport Volunteer Fire Department, Highland Township Volunteer Fire Department, Jasonville Volunteer Fire Department and Worthington-Jefferson Volunteer Fire Department, and Indiana State Police cars and motorcycles.) 

Coal City Volunteer Firefighter Dennise Leslie of Freedom, Indiana, was killed in the line of duty last Monday, July 2 on Stockton Road in Owen County while responding to a call.  She was 40 years old and had two children, one still at home.  She died as a result of a single vehicle crash just northeast of the Coal City Fire Station.

From a report in The Clay City News:

Mrs. Leslie was a veteran firefighter who had always ridden "shotgun" on the fire runs with her husband, Robert, also a Coal City firefighter.  But this time was different.  The 4:30 p.m. call to a field fire on Egenolf Road cane at a time when Mrs. Leslie knew, due to the time of day, very few firefighters would be available.  With her turn-out gear on board, she left her home and turned west on Stockton Road which provided her the shortest, most direct route to the fire station in Coal City.  Mrs. Leslie's 14-year-old son, Christopher Kennedy, remained at home and when his father arrived home a few moments later, he told him she had already left.  Robert followed his wife's route and was the first person on the scene where her Ford Ranger pickup left the road and crashed into a large tree.  She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Due to the number of friends and firefighters expected to attend services for Mrs. Leslie, the memorial service was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. today, Saturday, at the Owen Valley School.  The place of burial will be Coal City. 

Following the service, a funeral procession will travel south on State Road 67 to Worthington and then take State Road 157 north to Coal City. 

The exact time this procession will come through Worthington is not known. 

Mrs. Leslie has been included in the Times Obituaries.

Due to the soggy evening weather on Independence Day, the Fireworks in Bloomfield were rescheduled for 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 7.

The Summer Reading Program at the WJ Public Library continues through July 26 with craft days at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and special guests at 1:00 p.m. on Thursdays.

Highlights still to come include a visit by Jesse Walker of WTWO on July 12, a presentation by Rex Gambill from Turtle Creek on July 19, a Subway Party on July 24, and a visit from Jungle John on July 26.

To the Greene County Community:

We wish to thank everyone for taking the time to pay tribute and honor our loved one, Mark Wesley Kelsey, as we brought Mark home along Highway 231 on Sunday, June 24 to his hometown of Washington, Indiana. A very special thank you to the city, town, and township Fire Departments and all the firefighters from throughout Greene County for the wonderful tribute you paid to one of your fellow firefighters. Our deepest appreciation to all those that stood in salute, waved flags, or held their hands over their heart. We will never forget.

The family of Mark Wesley Kelsey

The Worthington Police Department will be hosting a dinner for Senior Citizens from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 11.

Sponsored jointly by members of the Worthington VFW Post and the WPD, this dinner will be served in the dining room of the VFW Post.

The menu includes hamburger steaks, baked potato, baked beans, slaw, tea or lemonade and various deserts.

All Senior Citizens in the Worthington area are invited. This is a free dinner and a great time to enjoy good food and spend time with friends.

To insure a meal for each person, the WPD would like to know how many are coming. Please contact either Gloria in the Town Clerk’s office at 875-2641 or Mary Louise in the Senior Citizens Center at 875-2525 and get your name on the list prior to July 6.

Any donations received at the dinner will benefit the Worthington Senior Citizens Center in Worthington, Indiana.