Community mourns loss of firefighter Kevin Pryor

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers FAREWELL- Eric Pryor of Oak Park comforts his wife Brandie at the funeral service for his brother Kevin who died June 17. Fire bells rang for the last time on Tues., June 24 for Oak Park son Kevin Pryor. A funeral service for the 31-year-old firefighter was held at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in the community where he grew up.

A firefighter who worked in Newport Beach, Pryor suffered a fatal aneurysm on June 17, the day after returning to his Irvine home from fighting the Northern California wildfires. Four firefighters, who joined the department at the same time Pryor did three years ago, concluded the service with the ringing of three bells, three times, symbolizing both the beginning and the end of a firefighter's shift.

More than 100 Southern California firefighters filled the church and joined family and friends in prayers of remembrance. Fire trucks and emergency vehicles packed the church parking lot, occupying nearby Kanan Road.

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers IN REVERENCE- Kevin Pryor's firefighting equipment at rest. Parents Mark and Margaret Pryor and brother Eric were supported by members of the Newport Beach Fire Department and Fire Chief Steve Lewis, who returned from vacation in Yosemite upon receiving word of Pryor's death. A motorcade of firefighters accompanied the body from a Newport Beach hospital to a Ventura mortuary last Wednesday, greeted by flags and salutes from fire departments along the way.

"They kept us together," Mark Pryor said. "It's a brotherhood. They take care of their own."

Loved in the community

The Pryor family has deep roots in Oak Park, having lived in the community since September 1976, four months before Kevin's birth. Pryor attended Oak Park High School, playing baseball with his older brother and graduating in 1995. Eric Pryor is a teacher and former baseball coach at the high school. Eric's wife, Brandie, is a Brookside Elementary School teacher.

Known for his clever impressions of people, Kevin Pryor was described as having a wonderful smile and strong work ethic who admired Teddy Roosevelt and loved camping, fishing, cowboy boots and hats. He'd recently hiked Mt. Whitney and participated in a Lake Tahoe triathlon.

"Maybe we shouldn't be surprised that with all of these attributes he got all of God's work done in 31 years," Eric Pryor said.

Kevin's interest in public service stems from his father, a 30-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, and his greatgrandfather, Leo E. Pryor, a Delano fire chief, police judge and justice of the peace in the 1930s. Kevin prized his great-grandfather's brass wrench and metal helmet, which he insisted on using despite their age.

Pryor joined the Ventura County fire program as a 16yearold cadet. He attended Hancock Junior College in Santa Maria and transferred to California Polytechnic Institute in San Luis Obispo, where he graduated with a history degree. In 1999 he joined the Pismo Beach Fire Department, was named Rookie Firefighter of the Year, and three years later Firefighter of the Year.

In 2003 he joined CALFIRE in Riverside County and was named valedictorian of his firefighter academy class. He came aboard at Newport Beach in 2005.

"Kevin was a mentor to all the young guys in the fire department," said Deputy Chief Dave Mais. "Everybody loved his sense of humor. It was good to have an individual like Kevin to lighten the mood at the fire station."

Even in death Kevin was a hero, his brother said. An organ donor, Kevin Pryor helped save the lives of 13 recipients, but he had already given his heart away in the figurative sense to Delaney and Avery, his two young nieces.

Kevin loved the girls and they returned the adoration, calling him "Uncle Chi Chi," Avery's interpretation of the name Kevin. Avery took her first steps walking toward her beloved uncle.

"Who wouldn't want to go to Uncle Kevin?" Eric Pryor said. "Kevin believed that you do what you can with what you have, where you are, and you put the rest in God's hands."

He urged those attending the service not to wait for funerals to spend time with loved ones.

"I know we can't bring Kevin back but we can do a few things to keep his spirit alive- smile, laugh and have fun," Eric Pryor said.

Pryor described his brother as a comedian, outdoorsman, historian, lifesaver, life-giver, guardian angel, and hero.

"My hero," Eric Pryor said. "Kevin, I love you. Save a barstool for me."

Donations in Kevin Pryor's memory may be made to the Newport Beach Firefighter's Benevolent Fund, P.O. Box 1695, Newport Beach, Calif., 92663.