GROTTOES, VA- “Never forget.” To those who work in emergency services, whether it be police, fire, or EMS, the words “never forget” are more than just a catchphrase. They truly reflect the way police, firefighters, and EMTs feel about those who serve, particularly those who make the ultimate sacrifice.
In Grottoes, Virginia, local officials dedicated a stage at the John E. Painter Park in honor of William “Bill” Davies, a former Grottoes police chief who died in the line of duty in 1988, the Daily News-Record reports.
The dedication ceremony was held on the first night of a Bluegrass in the Park series. Mayor Jo Plaster and Police Chief Jason Sullivan spoke at the ceremony.
“When someone, especially in a leadership position, lays an impact on you, it lasts forever,” Plaster said. “I’ve heard several stories over the years since I’ve been here for 25 years. IT’s good for the soul.”
Naming the stage after Davies was the brainchild of Roger Randall, 78, the host of the bluegrass series, and Caleb Bailey, founding member of “Paine’s Run” Bluegrass Band.
“John Painter [whom the park is named to honor] got killed over in Bridgewater, and they named the park after him,” Randall said. “I thought something ought to be done for Bill Davies since he got killed on duty here. So that’s why we worked to get it done.”
Davies served the Grottoes Police Department for 13 years until a car crash killed in 1988 at the age of 52.
Bailey sang the national anthem, the News-Record reported, as a color guard rose the American Flag. Davies’ daughter Kathleen Stump, 62, attended the ceremony.
“I was very pleased,” she said. “It’s been a long time, so it meant a lot to me that they still were thinking about him.”
Stump was only a teenager when her father took the oath as a Grottoes police officer.
“It was very interesting because most of the kids were not very friendly at first because he came in and started upsetting the norm, and they didn’t like it,” Stump recalled. “But, gradually, as time went on, he became very loved by everybody and I always was the beneficiary of that as well, so it was good.”
Randall said he and Davies were very good friends and said he was a “good officer.”
“He was a good town officer. He ran the town by himself, where it takes eight officers now to keep everything pretty much in order, and everybody kind of respected him, and I did too.”
When Davies was killed, the town received an influx of cards and letters from people praising Davies for things he had done.
One, for example, was from a man who lived outside of town whom Davies helped when his car became disabled. Davies took the man to the garage, set up a repair, drove him to a hotel in Harrisonburg, and picked him up the next day after his car had been repaired, then drove him back to the garage.
He didn’t do it for praise or notoriety but because it was the right thing to do.
“He didn’t come and toot his horn,” Stump said of her dad. “He just did stuff because that’s who he was. And those are the things I want people to learn about him and maybe emulate it.”
Meanwhile, Jeff Morris, a member of the town’s volunteer fire department, took to the stage and shared memories he had of Davies, from playing cards with him to helping save lives on the job.
‘He was a good friend to the fire department,” Morris said. “I can’t say enough about his relationship with the fire department. He was there every day.”
Morris said he was heartbroken when he learned of Davies’ death.
“He was a great man. Everyone that knew him loved him.”
Randall and Bailey called Stump to let her know of the honor.
“I was very appreciative of the effort because it’s meaningful to me,” she shared. “All of my family has gone now. My mother and my sister are gone. It’s just nice to have that extra memory.”
Bailey emphasized that, as a life member of the volunteer fire department, it’s important to honor those who sacrifice their lives to help others.
“He was very much like an Andy Griffith type of character for our town,” Bailey said of Davies.
“I never got to know Bill, but I just knew that his legacy is still very much around Grottos. Some folks down the line may not remember him, but they’ll wonder who he is because the state is named after him. So maybe they’ll look him up and remember him, so carrying that on, it’s the least you can do as a town for someone who gave their life and service to you.”
Bailey, host of the Bluegrass in the Park series, also noted the pond in the park is named after Charlie Lawhorn, a former police chief.
