Thomas Wilson Berry III

The Sussex County first responders community is honoring Thomas Wilson Berry III with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Georgetown Fire Company two years after his death. 

GEORGETOWN, DE - The Sussex County first responder community is honoring the late Thomas Berry III on Thursday, two years after he died while assisting at the site of a car crash on Lewes-Georgetown Highway with a wreath-laying ceremony.

Berry served as a firefighter in Georgetown and Ellendale and as a Logistics Technician for county EMS, but was raised around the fire service from a young age. While on the scene Aug. 13, 2024, a utility pole snapped, bringing down live wires and killing Berry. 

Ellendale Volunteer Fire Company President Brent Scott knew Berry since he was a boy. 

"Thomas was always very funny. Always liked to play jokes, hide and seek at the firehouse,” he said. “Just a very caring soul."

Scott told WBOC News they make sure every new member knows not only Berry’s name, but his spirit and commitment to helping others. 

At the Sussex County Department of Public Safety, new employees learn about all line-of-duty deaths, including Berry. 

“He has an entrenched family history in the Sussex County Fire Service and Kent County Fire Service,” John Wright, deputy director of public safety and director of EMS for Sussex County, said.” So he's an absolute legacy family in Sussex County."

The wreath-laying ceremony is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the memorial monument in front of the Georgetown Fire Company station at 100 S Bedford St.

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