[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 180 (Wednesday, November 14, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H9523]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MERLE NELL

  (Ms. TENNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor firefighters from 
across our community. They recently traveled to Albany to honor the 
life and legacy of Merle Nell, a fire police captain and former chief 
of the Vernon Fire Department in upstate New York. Family, friends, and 
fellow firefighters watched as Merle's name was inscribed in the New 
York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial.
  Merle passed away in November 2016 while on the scene of a fire in 
Vernon Center, New York. His name is now etched on a wall with 2,551 
other fallen firefighters from our great State who have given their 
lives in the line of duty.
  Affectionately known as ``Skippy'' to his family and friends, Merle's 
legacy of service lives on through his sons and grandsons. Merle's 
sons, Scott and Mark, serve as fire chiefs in both Verona and Vernon; 
and his grandsons, Adam and Matthew, are active firefighters in Vernon, 
and Zachary is a junior firefighter in Verona.
  A marine, a father, a postal worker, and a firefighter, Merle's life 
of service is a true inspiration to everyone in our community. His 
memory will live on in the hearts of our grateful community both in 
central New York and in New York State.

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