Speech and Testimony
County Executive Leggett’s Remarks at the Funeral of Firefighter Charles “Rick” Gentilcore
Covenant Life Church, 7501 Muncaster Mill Road, Gaithersburg
As prepared
On behalf of everyone in Montgomery County, I want to express our sincere condolences to Firefighter Rescuer Gentilcore’s family --
- To his wife Virginia
- To his son Todd
- To his older sister Nancy, his younger sister Mary, his baby sister Betty, and his older brother Anthony the third.
- And to his many relatives, friends and fellow Fire and Rescue service members gathered here today.
This is literally and figuratively close to home for me, because the Burtonsville Fire Station serves the very neighborhood that I call home.
Fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter, Rick gave more than 23 years to the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service and even more to our community.
Starting off the first 11 years as a volunteer, Rick joined the BVFD on March 7, 1994 and also served as a volunteer in Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties.
A credit to his volunteer service, Rick was a Top Responder in the year 2000, responding to more than 300 calls.
He was later hired by MCFRS in 2005 and spent the most recent 12 years as a career firefighter. He achieved the rank of Firefighter III.
He was a true son of this County, having grown up in Wheaton and graduated from Northwood High School in 1983.
It is always difficult to find something positive to draw from when someone so dedicated to such a venerable cause – one bigger than himself – has been taken from this world in the midst of life.
Yet even in our sorrows, there is one idea I’d like to leave you with today:
Rick was a good man who died doing what he loved – serving his beloved County, ready to answer ALL alarms.
The work he had chosen is essential to our community. The responsibilities of a firefighter are often dangerous and stressful with life, not-infrequently, hanging in the balance.
Today let us dedicate ourselves, not only to Firefighter Gentilcore’s memory, but to his duty and his passion.
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Release ID: 17-023
April 12; 1 p.m.