Daniel Roy, 29, veteran ‘made for the fire service’
March 28, 2019
When Daniel Roy decided to move from Gwinnett County, Ga., to Pawleys Island, his mom, Sue, was worried that he didn’t have any family or friends here.
Roy became part of the Midway Fire and Rescue family, who gathered at Holy Cross Faith Memorial Episcopal Church on Saturday to say goodbye to their fallen brother. Also on hand were Roy’s classmates from paramedic school and firefighters from other departments in the state.
“It wasn’t until all this went down that [Sue] realized how big Daniel’s family was,” said Midway Battalion Chief Jeff Pifer, who was Roy’s supervisor. “It’s a brotherhood. I think she was overwhelmed by the support of the brotherhood family.”
Roy, 29, was involved in a motorcycle accident on March 17 on Bypass 17 in Myrtle Beach. He was not wearing a helmet and suffered significant head injuries. He died on Friday afternoon.
“He fought strong and hard,” Midway Fire Chief Doug Eggiman said. “You hope for a miracle and pray for a miracle. Unfortunately it didn’t turn out the way everybody hoped and prayed for.”
Pifer said Roy was full of energy and he never had to disciple or redirect him.
“If he was running calls all night there was never a complaint,” Pifer said. “If he was finishing a shift and I told him he had to work overtime, he was OK.”
“He didn’t like sitting around [and] he was self-motivated for sure.” said Midway Lt. Howard Lutz, who worked with Roy on C shift. “When we went to fires or critical calls, he always did his job.”
When Roy got his motorcycle last year he showed up for a shift at Station 83 inside DeBordieu Colony. The guard at the gate told him he couldn’t ride a motorcycle inside the development and made Roy park it near the guard shack. He then gave Roy a ride to the fire station.
“He learned a lesson that day, I suppose,” Lutz said.
What Lutz remembers most about Roy was that he liked to have fun. Roy loved eating Capt. Crunch cereal; baking, not broiling, pierogies; and his hedgehog named Willow. Lutz said rumor has it Willow paid a clandestine visit to Roy in the hospital.
Roy was on schedule to graduate from paramedic school in May. Pifer said Roy looked at becoming a paramedic as a way to be better at his job.
“He fit the fire service,” Pifer said. “He had a direction, he knew what he wanted to do.”
Roy was a native of McDonough, Ga., and an Air Force veteran. He graduated from culinary school and worked as a chef before joining the Henry County Fire Department in Georgia. Two years ago he was hired at Midway.
“He was a fine young man, nice and polite,” Eggiman said.
Pifer said a lot of firefighting knowledge comes from hands-on learning and that’s what worked best for Roy.
“He was made for the fire service,” Pifer said. “He was high energy. He needed something to do.”
“You could tell he liked what he did and he was in it for the right reason,” Egiman said.
Pifer said Roy’s parents, Sue and Mark, will remain part of the Midway family. “If they’re ever in this area, they can make one phone call and they’ll have family around them,” he added.
A Go Fund Me account has been set up to help Roy’s family with medical and other expenses. Search for the “Fighting for Roy” page.
