Procession and service will be held for fallen Modesto firefighter. Here’s what to know
.jpeg "Modesto Fire Department Capt. Doug McCullough died March 19 from job-related cancer.")
A procession and celebration of life service will take place Tuesday morning for Doug McCullough, a Modesto Fire Department captain who died March 19 from job-related cancer.
Whether you want to pay your respects along the procession route or avoid minor traffic delays, here’s what you need to know:
The approximately 30-minute procession will start at 10 a.m. at the Deegan-Ripon Memorial Chapel on Palm Avenue in Ripon and end at The House Modesto church on Coffee Road.
The procession will pass landmarks significant to McCullough’s family: Ripon Fire Station 1 because the family lives in Ripon and McCullough’s 16-year-old son, Bryan, is a fire explorer there; Salida Middle School and Station 12 in Salida, where McCullough started his career; and Modesto Station 11 on Carver Road and Pelandale Avenue, where McCullough most recently was assigned before falling ill.
It will involve about a dozen vehicles, including the fire engine from Station 11, in which Bryan McCullough will ride.
After leaving the funeral home, the procession will go east on Main Street, then south on Stockton Avenue, where it will pass Ripon Fire Station 1 before getting back onto Main Street to access the southbound Highway 99 on-ramp.
It will exit on Hammett Road and turn south, then go east on Ciccarelli Road, which becomes Toomes Road, where it will pass Salida Middle School.
The procession will turn east onto Kiernan Avenue, then south onto Salida Boulevard, where it will pass Station 12.
It will turn east on Pelandale Avenue, where it will pass Modesto Fire Station 11 on Pelandale and Carver Road. It will continue onto Claratina Avenue and then turn south onto Coffee Road to end at The House Modesto at Briggsmore Avenue.
There will be rolling closures at the intersections the procession passes through. Motorists can expect short delays of about five minutes.
The public is encouraged to line the route where it is safe to do so but reminded to stay out of the roadway and be mindful of traffic.
The public also can watch a live stream of the services on the Modesto Fire Department’s Facebook page starting at 11 a.m.
While Modesto Fire Department staff attends the service, personnel from 14 other agencies will be covering their stations. They will be coming from as far north as Sacramento, west from the Bay Area, east from Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, and south from Fresno.
McCullough, 52, started his career in the fire services in Salida in 1994 and went to the Modesto Fire Department in 2012. He is survived by his wife Krista, and their two children Bryan,16, and Makenzie, 14.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to California Fire Foundation or to the American Cancer Society collaboration with International Association of Fire Fighters to help fight cancer in the fire service.
