By Sherri Blevins
July has been a sad month for DeKalb County’s first responders. Retired Collinsville Police Chief and present-day Collinsville SRO Gary Bowen passed away on July 20, 2021. Retired Fort Payne Firefighter and Fort Payne Middle School Teacher Darren Westbrook died on Thursday, July 22, 2021, after battling COVID-19 for a month. Both these individuals impacted the lives of countless DeKalb County residents with the lives they lived.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department issued this statement about Officer Bowen. “It is with great sadness and heavy hearts we announce the passing of one of our own, Deputy Gary Bowen.
He began his career at the Collinsville Police Department in 1979. He retired from Collinsville on January 31, 2019, as the longest-serving Police Chief in Alabama.
And after a very short retirement, Deputy Bowen started working with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office as SRO for Collinsville School. I think it would be safe to say that Deputy Bowen loved the town of Collinsville, Al.
Deputy Bowen was a great man and will be missed by all who knew him.”
Bowen’s funeral was Thursday, July 22, 2021, at the Collinsville Funeral Home. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department served as pallbearers, and the Alabama Law Enforcement officers were honorary pallbearers.
Fort Payne Fire Chief Ron Saferite spoke of Firefighter Westbrook in an interview with Channel 48 News reporter Stefante Randall. Saferite stated, “He was always there for the community. I can’t say how big of a loss this is, not just for our firefighter department family but his family and family in the community. For 26 years, Fort Payne Retired Firefighter Darren Westbrook went above and beyond to serve and protect his community.”
According to Randall, Saferite said he and Westbrook created the honor guard together and that Westbrook was passionate about fire safety awareness for children. Saferite said, “We taught every year, and we would go to the schools in October for fire safety month. We taught kindergarten through fourth grade about fire and safety around the house, and he was always there. That was a big deal to him too.”
Westbrook was in the hospital for one month at Floyd Medical Center, and news of his death saddened many throughout the DeKalb County community. Westbrook was given a full fire department honors funeral on Monday, July 26, 2021, at the W.T. Wilson Funeral Home.
Both of these men will be missed by their communities.