29-03-2025
Ceremony to honor Maryland first responders who died in the line of duty
TIMONIUM, Md. — The 40th annual Fallen Heroes Day ceremony will honor Maryland first responders who died in the line of duty, according to a community announcement.
The event will take place at 1 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium. It is the only statewide ceremony in the nation that brings together all segments of the public safety community, according to the announcement.
The ceremony will open with a procession of honor guard units from across the state, mounted units and motorcycle police. Families of the fallen heroes will receive a replica of the Fallen Heroes Memorial and a resolution from the Maryland General Assembly. The ceremony will conclude with a wreath placement, a 21-gun salute, Taps and a flyover. The bell housed on Maryland's 9/11 Rolling Memorial will toll in honor of each fallen hero and all Maryland first responders who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Baltimore County Executive Katherine A. Klausmeier will deliver a memorial address, and the keynote speaker will be Baltimore sportscaster Scott Garceau. Lynne Parry, the newly appointed president and executive director of the Maryland Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors, will speak on behalf of the families. Mary Beth Marsden, a local broadcaster and artist, will serve as the emcee.
The ceremony will honor several fallen heroes, including Chief Kevin E. Morgan of the Boonsboro Police Department, who passed away April 13, 2024, after suffering a medical emergency while on duty. Morgan served with the Brunswick Police Department, was a K-9 officer with the Washington County Sheriff's Office and became the chief of the Boonsboro Police Department. He was 63 years old.
Other honorees include Master Firefighter Michael T. Warfel, Deputy Chief William F. Goddard III, Firefighter Richard E. Blankenship Jr., Deputy Sheriff Corey D. McElroy, Police Officer Daoud A. Mingo, Agent Davis G. Martinez, Sergeant Brenda J. Lowery and Lieutenant Christopher J. Higgins.
The ceremony will also remember police officers and firefighters who died in the line of duty before Fallen Heroes Day was established. This year, Sgt. Wallace J. Mowbray, Capt. Charles P. Ditch and Lt. Joseph A. Stigler will be recognized.
In 1976, Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens set aside burial spaces for fallen heroes and their spouses. The first observance of Fallen Heroes Day was held May 16, 1986, and was later moved to the first Friday in May. In 2007, the 70-acre cemetery was purchased by John O. Mitchell III of the family-owned Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home in Rodgers Forge/Towson, Md. The Mitchell family continues the tradition of the Fallen Heroes Day ceremony.
The Fallen Heroes Memorial is within Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens at 200 E. Padonia Road, Timonium. Currently, 81 members of the public safety community are buried at the Fallen Heroes Memorial. Including this year's observance, a total of 234 fallen heroes will have been honored at the annual ceremony.
For more information, go to or call 410-666-0490.
This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at or share your thoughts at with our News Automation and AI team.
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This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Boonsboro Chief of Police Kevin E. Morgan to be honored in Timonium
