EMS Fallen To Be Honored During National EMS Weekend of Honor

WASHINGTON, DC—The National EMS Memorial Service, the National EMS Memorial Foundation and the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride announced June 28, 2021, that they will pay tribute to 144 EMS and air medical fallen from 39 states during the 2021 National EMS Weekend of Honor.

The event is scheduled for July 23–25 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport, 2799 Richmond Highway in Arlington, VA.

Wisconsin has two honorees who will be recognized during the events—2020 honoree Kelly Raether, EMS captain from the Town of Ixonia Fire & EMS Department, and due to the cancellation of last year’s events, 2019 honoree Michael F. Lundgaard, Appleton Fire Department firefighter/paramedic.

This year’s lists include the 2019 and 2020 honorees plus 72 past EMS fallen dating back as far as 1895 that were researched and vetted for inclusion thanks to the efforts of many volunteers.

Raether was known by her colleagues and patients for her compassion and constantly giving back to the community where she grew up and lived. Not only was she an EMT on the department for 15 years, she had been a nurse since 2010, working most recently at Aurora Medical Center Washington County in the emergency department, and was a nursing instructor at Carroll University. She was the fire department’s EMS educator and had taught CPR and basic emergency first aid for babysitters.

According to Raether’s mother Linda, Raether knew she always wanted to be a nurse. She became a certified nursing assistant in the early 2000s, working at Watertown Regional Medical Center in the OB department. Early in Raether’s time there, a letter was written by a mother who had delivered a stillborn baby at the hospital. The letter recognized Kelly for helping her get through that day. She wrote that Kelly had carefully washed the baby and cut a lock of hair, which she placed in an envelope and gave to the mother. She stayed with her the entire day as they both cried and grieved.

Raether joined the fire department in 2005, moving up the ranks from advanced EMT to lieutenant and finally EMS captain. At her service a young man who had battled addiction stood up and shared his story of how he had relapsed and overdosed. As Kelly cared for him in the emergency department he asked, “Why are you not judging me?” Kelly responded, “I am not here to judge you. I am here to help you and get you back into rehab.” The young man added, “She saved my life.”

Raether obtained her master’s of science in nursing in 2015 and was in her first semester of a doctor of nursing practice program when she contracted COVID-19 from a patient during a transport and was hospitalized. According to her mother, Raether was still doing homework assignments from her hospital bed and grading papers for her nursing students, and even assisted a nurse in the unit with her nurse practitioner homework.

On November 26, 2020, at age 42, Kelly lost her battle with COVID-19 with her nurse and respiratory therapist holding her hands. Due to COVID restrictions, her mom and sister Kari were unable to be by her side, instead having to talk to her on the phone and watch from outside her room.

Linda and Kari will travel to Arlington to attend the Weekend of Honor where they will be presented with a special medallion inscribed with Kelly’s name and an American flag that was flown over the nation’s capitol.

The National EMS Memorial Service will be livestreamed, and details will be provided at national-ems-memorial.org and facebook.com/NEMSMS.