By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
ELLICOTTVILLE — Family, friends, firefighters, paramedics and public works employees paid final respects to fallen firefighter Zach Golley Friday.
Following a funeral service at the Ellicottville Town Center, Zach’s casket was carried from the funeral service in the bed of an Ellicottville Fire Department rescue truck and past the fire hall where the flag flew at half staff.
An escort of local police, fire, ambulance and public service departments accompanied the truck bearing the casket through the village and beneath an American flag flying from a line between two ladder trucks at Washington and Monroe streets. Traffic was halted in both directions on Route 219 during the funeral procession up Washington Street to Holy Cross Cemetery.
A long line of fire vehicles followed the escort including from Ellicottville, Little Valley, Great Valley, Humphrey, Springville, Perrysburg, Randolph, Machias, Morton’s Corners, Westons Mills and Franklinville.
Zach and his fiance Emily Hall have a new baby girl, Bailey.
He was assistant director of the Ellicottville wastewater treatment plant, an assistant chief of the Ellicottville Fire Department and paramedic. He was driving a village truck when it was struck by a northbound Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad locomotive at the unprotected Trillium Way rail crossing Thursday morning on the way to the treatment plant.
He was critically injured and on Saturday he was declared dead and his organs were harvested for transplants for two people.
A Gofundme page has been established to benefit the family at:
Fundraiser by Gavin Krist : Support Zach: A kind hearted individual in our community
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