GRAY COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) – The community of volunteer firefighters in southwest Kansas that was recently fighting the massive wildfires in that part of the state is now mourning one of their own.
Richard Hixon, a volunteer with the Gray County Fire Department, died Wednesday.
“He never met a stranger,” said his cousin Christabelle Kreie, “and he was always so gentle and kind-hearted.”
Kreie says that’s how she’ll remember her cousin Richard: caring and outgoing.
“He just loved people and life,” she said, “if you made him mad, surely he’d let you know that for sure. Definitely loved his family and his daughter meant the world to him.”
He passed away after being involved in a crash in rural Gray County on Wednesday.
Just a few weeks ago, he was one of the many volunteer firefighters battling the massive wildfires in Clark County.
“He was out-of-town for when that first started,” said Kreie. “He was in Chicago, but when he got back, he went down.”
She says he took pride in his public service.
“He’s avid at Snapchat,” she said. “He always sent people Snapchats of him in his uniform and hat and different types, things like that.”
She says she’ll hold on to their fond memories and inside jokes.
Get breaking news, weather and traffic on the go. Download our News App and our Weather App for your phone and tablet. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
