Hundreds mourn firefighter

The Liberty man was remembered for helping those who had troubles.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- It was grand, the Irish would say, as family, friends and fellow firefighters gathered Saturday to say their goodbyes to Eddie Conricote.
"We have lost a valued member of the community and the parish," the Right Rev. John Zuraw, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, told those who had come to bid Conricote farewell.
The East Side church filled with the haunting sounds of bagpipes and flutes playing Irish music. Sun streamed through the stained-glass widows, vividly displaying the religious symbols.
Edward Patrick Conricote, 55, of Belmar Drive in Liberty Township, a township volunteer firefighter, died Monday evening while battling a blaze.
Cause undetermined
It hasn't been determined if Conricote suffered a heart attack before he fell from a firetruck or died from injuries suffered in the fall.
About 250 firefighters, including fire companies from Ashtabula and Portage counties, paid their respects.
The procession of firetrucks and other emergency vehicles was about a mile long.
In a twist, 10 priests joined Monsignor Zuraw in celebrating Mass.
One of them, the Rev. Tim O'Neill, pastor of St. Patrick Church in Hubbard, said the priests gathered to honor Conricote, a former priest.
"He was a good kid," Father O'Neill said of Conricote after the service. He noted that the fallen firefighter was more than a Catholic; he was a Christian.
Outside the church, bells pierced the chilled air to invite people inside. The coffin arrived atop a Youngstown firetruck that had an American flag waving at the end of an outstretched ladder.
As the firefighters sat in their classic dress blue uniforms inside the church, Monsignor Zuraw expressed gratitude to the firefighters for the work they do.
"Thank you for your dedication and service. We are profoundly grateful," he told them. The firefighters received a standing ovation from those not in the fire service.
He helped others
In eulogizing Conricote, Msgr. Zuraw told of the firefighter's getting involved in the lives of others.
He explained that Jesus identifies with acts of kindness.
With the hungry, thirsty and lonely, "we can't stand back and be objective observers," the monsignor said.
He said Conricote cared for others. That's why he got involved.
Conricote couldn't solve the problems of the world, the monsignor explained, but he could help the people he knew.
yovich@vindy.com