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Alex Cabrero reportingGone but not forgotten -- it's a phrase we hear all the time when someone dies. Today in Millard County, people not only said those words, they lived up to them.
When bad things happen to good people, it's only natural to want to remember the good times. So when people in Fillmore wanted to name the interagency fire station on 300 South, only one name seemed to make sense.
Rick Higginbotham said, "We're especially grateful at this time for Spencer, for his life, for his example."
Higginbotham was referring to Spencer Koyle, a wildland firefighter who died two summers ago fighting the Devil's Den fire near Fillmore. Honoring his sacrifice was a no-brainer.
Inside the fire station there was standing room only and good times to remember.
Spencer's father, Stan Koyle, said, "We always liked him, but we didn't realize so many others appreciated him."
Stan probably said thank you a million times to those who supported his family.
Sue Koyle, Spencer's mother, said, "They've never taken their arms away from us. Their arms have been around us all that time, and they're still around us."
Not only is the fire station named after Koyle, and the memorial in his name, but today the mayor also read a proclamation renaming 300 South in Fillmore to "Spencer Koyle Avenue."
Sue said, "Sometimes when I'm home alone at night, I think, ‘Is this my little boy who grew up to be this wonderful man?'"
Spencer's brother Shane said, "He always did what was right, and I knew I had to live up to those standards he did."
The firefighters Koyle worked with did too. Tyler Monroe said, "Every time I walk through that door, I pretty much think about Spencer and the things we did."
Koyle left behind a wife and three children, but being there for his memorial, it's obvious he left behind a whole lot more, and his memory will live on.
Koyle was just 33 years old when he died in that fire.
