Assistant Chief Mike Guyer Stokes-Rockingham Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad (NC) 1996

The sun rose on Sunday, July 28, 1996 with the promise of a hot, summer day in North Carolina. Our family had returned from Church and was preparing for a lazy afternoon at home when a thunderstorm rolled through our community. At the height of the storm, the Fire Alarm sounded from our Fire Station.

My husband, Mike Guyer, was the Assistant Chief of the Stokes-Rockingham Volunteer Fire Dept. and Rescue Squad. When the tones sounded, Mike did what he always did. He responded to the call for help. He called out that he would be back soon and jumped in his truck to head to the Fire Department. Little did we know that our lives would change forever on this day. We did not know that he would never come home. Mike's truck hydroplaned on the wet roads less than 2 miles from our house and he was involved in a terrible traffic accident.

Mike spent over 2 months in the hospital and lost his battle to live on Friday, October 4th. I lost my best friend on this day. My 2 daughters lost their father and their "hero." Life without Mike was a real struggle and my girls and I went through many trials while trying to come to terms with our loss. My girls were 12 and 7 years old when he died and had a very hard time dealing with the loss and with the feelings of guilt and anger that he left us behind. I never dreamed that I would be a single Mom and was not prepared for the experience.

Thanks to the love and support of our family, friends and our Fire Service family, we were able to take a day at a time and work through the grieving process. It is by far the hardest thing that I have ever faced and I am a stronger person today as a result.