Submitted by his Wife

Even at a young age‚ Bryon was firefighter at heart. From wearing toy fire helmets with his Papaw to his favorite trucks being fire trucks.

Bryon started his firefighting career in the United States Air Force in the spring of 1994 after basic training and tech school. In the five years that Bryon spent in the Air Force he received three awards which included a Unit Citation for a water rescue‚ the Robert H. Curtain Award and the Air Force Achievement Medal.

After the Air Force‚ firefighting took Bryon to Garden City‚ Kansas where‚ after being there a short time he was promoted to Engineer.

Bryon‚ deciding he wanted to be closer to family and friends‚ set his sights on the Sedgwick County Fire Department in 1999. In October of 1999‚ Bryon was hired on. During Bryon’s nearly 8 years with the department‚ he accomplished much. He received his Associate Degree in Fire Science and his Bachelors in Criminal Justice. Bryon received certificates for Fire Instructor‚ Hazardous Materials Technician‚ Kansas Fire Officer and Kansas State Fire Marshal Fire Investigator. Bryon also did many things while not on duty related to firefighting including Fire Code Review‚ being a field instructor for University of Kansas and coordinating countless projects for the department. In July of 2006‚ Bryon was promoted to Lieutenant after only 6 _ years with the department.

Bryon was considered a rising star with the Sedgwick County Fire Department and was always striving to move toward his goal of being Fire Marshall. His greatest accomplishment in firefighting was to be accepted to the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. Unfortunately‚ he received his letter of acceptance just one day after he passed away. In January of 2008‚ he was posthumously awarded Executive Fire Officer and honored with his class.

While Bryon was a driven firefighter‚ his first priority was his family. He opted not to take extra shifts so that he wouldn’t miss time with his family. Bryon adored his two sons‚ Aeron and Jacob. He enjoyed spending time with his family. While God didn’t bless him with biological brothers‚ Bryon was blessed with the best friends a guy could have. Friends since high school‚ they spent time fishing‚ hunting‚ cheating at cards and hanging out.

We‚ as Bryon’s family and friends‚ miss him terribly. While his death was a tragedy‚ we are honored that he was part of our lives. Bryon taught us to never give up even when you are considered the underdog. He taught us to live life to its fullest and enjoy every single minute with a giggle and maybe some cheese-its and tomato soup.