Ohio firefighter Don Patterson knows about love and loss. He won’t be spending the upcoming weekend with his fiancé, Captain Robin Broxterman. Any plans for a weekend getaway or a barbecue will neve come to fruition. The couple shared a common bond: both were career firefighters. They were scheduled to tie the knot on April 4, 2008.
Instead of exchanging wedding rings, Patterson buried his former fiancé. Broxterman and fellow firefighter Brian Schira, both died in a deadly house fire. A month has passed since the firefighters died.
If she were alive, she would be celebrating nearly six weeks of wedded bliss with her new husband. Patterson recently shared some of his personal thoughts with a local reporter.
“She was it,” he said of Captain Broxterman. “She was the one.”
He had rushed to the fire after hearing about it on the radio. He approached his fiancée’s battalion chief, who informed him “I’m sorry, she’s gone.”
He said that life has gotten back to normal for others, but he is still in mourning. He also mentioned feeling lonely without her in his life. I have been with my wife for many years and can’t imagine life without her.
Memorial Day is a special day to remember those who have preceded us in death. The love story between firefighters, Robin Broxterman and Don Patterson should remind us that love is fragile and can be snuffed out like a candle.
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