Family melts hearts with snow memorial to TFD

Larry Cready and his family spent about five hours on Friday crafting a snow memorial for the Toledo Fire Department.

Larry Cready and his family spent about five hours Friday evening crafting this snow memorial for the Toledo Fire Department at their home at 2132 Grantwood Dr., West Toledo. The sculpture, which was beginning to show the effects of pouring rain, depicts three kneeling firefighters cradling two helmets. Mr. Cready, who is self-employed servicing swimming pools and whose sister-in-law is a Toledo firefighter, said he came up with the design after his 6-year-old son, Braeden, asked to make a snowman. The family went out Saturday to join the mourners on the procession route for the coffin of Toledo firefighter Stephen Machcinski. "We have a lot of respect for what they do," Mr. Cready said.