Fallen Crooksville firemen honored on Ohio 93

CROOKSVILLE — Saturday was an emotional time for the families of Steven Carletti and David Theisen.

It was 24 years ago when the Crooksville volunteer firemen died on the job during a frigid winter morning while fighting a fire in a basement on Feb. 5, 1998. For the families and fellow firefighters, the memories of that day will be eternal.

Now their legacies will forever be etched on Ohio 93, where a stretch of the highway within the village was memorialized by signs in their honor on Saturday.

Saturday's proceedings capped a two-year process that often left Lt. Zach Keylor, with the Roseville Volunteer Fire Department, frustrated. It was Keylor who started the process with testimony to the Ohio Senate, but it wasn't until it was pushed to House Bill 291 that it became reality.

He said the process was affected by COVID-19 and other issues within the Senate, which continued to push back the bill.

"And it was very frustrating," Keylor said.  "I'm sure Senat (Jay) Hottinger's office got tired of hearing from me every week, but I stayed on them and they stayed with me. It was frustrating, but I had a mission and I knew I had to get this accomplished because those guys deserve the best that we can offer. I think this was one of those things."

Rep. Kevin Miller (R-Newark), a former Ohio State Highway Patrolman, made the official presentation on site. Hottinger (R-Newark), who was unable to attend, presented declarations to the Carletti and Theisen families.

Smaller signs were also presented to the families of the fallen, as well as Dyrall Newlon and Danny Rodgers, the firemen who were rescued from the same fire that took Carletti and Theisen.

Keylor called getting the bill passed "a long battle," adding that as far as he could tell during his research, no other state highway has been named after a fireman.

"Having the privilege and honor to be able to put something like this together, and get the backing of the Senate the way we did, was pretty tremendous," Keylor said. "It's a great feeling, not just on a personal level but for our community."

Nine different fire departments were in attendance for the ceremony, including Westerville, where Theisen worked full time. There is a statue built in his honor in front of the fire department there, while a stretch of road near the firehouse in Plain Township, in New Albany, was named Theisen Drive.

Rick Theisen, Dave's younger brother, said they have also been to Colorado and Maryland for events honoring him. He called him "a good guy," who was passionate about firefighting and was always willing to help someone in need.

He said Dave would have been humbled. He was a firefighter for 10 years, which also included working part time at Worthington and Plain and Madison townships in addition to his time in Westerville.

"He's got his name everywhere," Rick said, fighting back tears. "I just hope to one day to even remotely be remembered like that."

Carletti's son, Brian, said Saturday's ceremony was emotional and brought back memories of a tragedy that still is fresh in the family's minds. He was only 20 when he died.

He said his dad "was always there for us." He said the signs will remind him of the good memories they had together.

"He was a family man," Brian Carletti said. "We went to church together. He was always there when we needed him. (Firefighting) was his thing. He lost his job at the water department, then got into firefighting. He loved every minute of it."

sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR 

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Fallen Crooksville, Ohio, firemen honored on Ohio 93