Memorial to honor fallen Cygnet fire chief

8/3/2001

CYGNET - Two years after volunteer fire Chief Michael Cupp, Sr., collapsed while fighting a fire with the department he served for 30 years, a memorial in his honor will be dedicated at 3 p.m. Sunday.

To be placed in front of the fire hall on Front Street, a thick black granite stone will pay tribute to Chief Cupp, who died in the line of duty Aug. 5, 1999. Inscribed on it are the fireman's prayer and a drawing of a Cygnet fire truck with Chief Cupp standing beside it

Mr. Cupp, 48, died of a massive coronary about two hours after collapsing at the scene of an abandoned bonfire in Wood County's Bloom Township.

Patty Strickland, a friend and neighbor of the late chief and his wife, Lil, raised the bulk of the $5,500 needed for the memorial, soliciting donations for an auction and spaghetti dinner held in April.