Carolyn Marsh's Memorial Bench Dedication
 
By Rescue Chief 1 Kimberly Madison
May 14, 2019
 

Thank you for joining us this evening for the dedication of this bench in memory of Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad president, past captain and more important dear friend, Carolyn Marsh. It is wonderful to see you here. I wish to thank Bob Morrison for his assistance in overseeing the bench project in memory of Carolyn.

Carolyn was one of those people who I describe as a quiet achiever. She went about her work never seeking any recognition or reward. This evening she is probably looking down on us and saying what is all this fuss about? All this fuss is because Carolyn made a difference to the lives of many people, including all of us, and we want to say thank you. Thank you for being you and thank you for helping so many people, whether it be through Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad as friend, mentor, President, Captain, Scheduler, EMT instructor or as a wife and mother.

There is no doubt Carolyn’s devotion to the Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad led to new and better facilities, instruction, leadership and apparatus. It is clear that she is truly missed, these sentiments are reinforced in all the outpouring of love that everyone has shown since her passing. I hope this bench will be used to tell the next generation the stories that make us laugh and make us remember all the good times with Carolyn.

A short time before Carolyn’s passing, she asked me that if she could have a “damn” bench when she died. It’s not a conversation I wanted to have, I told her of course she could have anything the wanted and quickly changed the subject. Every day since Carolyn’s passing I have thought about her and this damn bench. I wish now that I had asked her what she wanted, hopefully this meets her standards. While she spent her later years running duty at Station 2 on Friday nights; I think this is the most fitting place - Carolyn ran many shifts here at Station 1. All of our meetings are held here. She taught many of us in EMT practical’s here when it was the old station one and she was a part of every EMT class taught here since the building was transformed into the training center. She was a staple of this organization and the Shannon Training Center.

We dedicate this bench today to Carolyn our Squad Momma and take time to also remember and reflect on the many contributions she made to Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad. It is bittersweet how it worked out with this past Sunday being mother’s day, next week EMS week and Carolyn's birthday at the end of the month. I hope when you sit here that you reflect on Carolyn’s life and her many legacies she left behind. With that said,
I would like to call on President Payne and VP Morrison to do the honors in unveiling Carolyn’s bench.