Walnut Ridge, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – First responders from multiple agencies traveled down Interstate 57 and into Jonesboro Wednesday afternoon for a procession honoring the life of deceased Bay volunteer firefighter Capt. Kolby Belcher.
Belcher died in a crash on Monday. He served as an engineer at the Walnut Ridge Fire Department and was a captain at the Bay Volunteer Fire Department. He received Fireman of the Year in 2022, according to his obituary.
The procession began in North Little Rock on Wednesday afternoon and headed north along I-57. It traveled through Pulaski, Lonoke, White, Jackson, Lawrence, and Craighead counties before finally stopping at Emerson Funeral Home in Jonesboro.
Bo Hickey, with Delta EMS Ambulance Service, was part of the procession. He said he and Belcher had been friends for a long time.
“[It is] the absolute greatest thing on the planet that you can do for a fallen brother,” Hickey said.
When the procession arrived at the stoplight at U.S. Highway 63 and Highway 91 in Walnut Ridge, it slowed down, allowing the gathered citizens, as well as first responders from the Walnut Ridge Fire Department and Lawrence County agencies, to salute. First responders also gathered to salute in Newport, Searcy, and Jonesboro.
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Walnut Ridge Fire Department (WRFD) Chief Chris Jones, who was also part of the procession, told JRN that seeing so many agencies come out to honor Belcher’s memory was not surprising and that it was a testament to the brotherhood of first responders. He added that seeing people lined up in Walnut Ridge to salute was “emotional.”
“Your feelings get to you,” Jones said. “He won’t be forgotten. We will move forward. It’ll take some time to mourn and to heal, but there will be things you won’t ever forget.”
Jones said that for Belcher, one of those things was his quirky demeanor and his self-proclaimed title of Director of the Activities Division (The WRFD does not have such a division).
“He loved kids,” Jones said. “He didn’t have any kids, but his crew that he works with, his partners had kids, and when they would come by the firehouse to see their dad, they might bypass the wrong parent, [to be like] ‘What’s Kolby doing?’ ‘Where’s Kolby at?’ because they knew he’d be ready to play a game, to shoot a basketball, or to throw a baggo bag. He was always up to something.”
The Bay Fire Department issued a statement on social media following Belcher’s death, calling him an “integral part of the Bay Fire Department, as well as the Walnut Ridge Fire Dept.”
“Thank you for your dedication to the citizens of the City of Bay, the City of Walnut Ridge, Craighead, and Lawrence Counties. Your big heart, hard work, and contagious laughter will be deeply missed,” the statement said. “Rest Easy, Capt. Belcher. We will take it from here.”
Belcher’s visitation will be on Thursday, March 26, from 4-7 p.m. at Emerson Funeral Home. The funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, with burial following at Gibson Cemetery. The Bay and Walnut Ridge fire departments will be serving as honorary pallbearers.
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