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Hundreds gather for the funeral of retired Richmond fire marshal David Creasy

Posted at 4:02 PM, Oct 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-22 16:08:00-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- Crowds gathered for the funeral for retired Richmond fire marshal, David Creasy Monday at the Victory Tabernacle Church of God.

Creasy fought fires for Richmond and Chesterfield for nearly 50 years.

The 67-year-old, who had been battling stage four cancer since his diagnosis in 2014, died last Monday.

Hundreds of his friends and colleagues came to his funeral, many with stories of how Creasy had impacted their lives.

Battalion Chief Kevin Moran, a former colleague and friend, recalled one of his favorite memories with Creasy.

"He never boasted his title," Moran said. "And one of the best memories was calling him Chief but also working side by side with him in the training center and also welding."

Another of Creasy's colleagues, Captain of Training, Todd Spruill, spoke on Creasy, a man he said he looked up to.

"I don't think he'd want us to be sad," said Spruill. "I think he'd want us to know how big of a fight he fought over the past four years. Never give up -- just amazing what he was able to do."

Creasy began his career in 1968 as a volunteer with the Manchester Volunteer Fire Department in Chesterfield.

He worked for the Richmond Bureau of Fire from 1971-1974, before returning to the Chesterfield Fire Department in 1974 with a career spanning 28 years. During that time period, he rose to the ranks of senior battalion chief/fire marshal.

Creasy returned to the Richmond Fire in 2008 as the city’s fire marshal/battalion chief before retiring earlier this year.

In a 2017 interview with CBS 6, Creasy said his doctors believe his firefighting career likely led to his illness.

Creasy spent the last few years of his life trying to educate firefighters on cancer prevention and the risks and dangers that come with the job.

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