Niagara Active Hose mourns member

Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, June 11, 2009

Robert A. Bagby Jr.

Members of the Town of Niagara's Niagara Active Hose Fire Co. were still in shock Tuesday as they mourned fellow firefighter Robert A. Bagby Jr. Bagby, 49, was killed Friday afternoon, June 5, after the motorcycle he was driving was struck by an SUV in front of Big Lots plaza on Military Road. It was members of his own fire company who responded to the accident call. "We responded to his call. It was very hard for us to respond in that situation," said Niagara Active Hose Chief Daniel Hosie. "He was a good fireman. He was a good family man."

A fireman's funeral was held Tuesday with honor guards, flag ceremony and presentation of firefighter badges to family members, Hosie said.

"Neighboring companies reached out to us and covered our calls while we were at the funeral today," he said.

Those covering calls included Upper Mountain, Lewiston No. 1, Frontier and Grand Island fire companies, he said, while Colonial Village and Lewiston No. 2 sent honor guards for the wake and funeral.

According to Town of Niagara Police reports, Bagby was driving a motorcycle northbound on Military Road, when a North Tonawanda woman driving a SUV southbound turned at the light and struck Bagby, pinning him underneath the SUV. The woman was ticketed for failure to yield the right of way.

Bagby was a lifelong resident of the Town of Niagara. Both his father and grandfather were Town of Niagara volunteer firefighters. He was employed by the New York Department of Transportation.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Otto Redanz Funeral Home, LaSalle Park Chapel.