Howard firefighter Craig Ralston to be honored today at 39th Fallen Heroes Day

May 3—Deputy Chief Craig Ralston of the Ellicott City Volunteer Fire Department will be honored at the 39th annual Fallen Heroes Day Ceremony at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens Friday.

Raltson is one of eight first responders across the state who will be honored at this year's ceremony.

A husband, father of four and grandfather of seven, he succumbed to complications from COVID-19 at the age of 64 on Feb. 3, 2022, according to a news release.

Ralston graduated from Mount Hebron High School and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in College Park. He earned a master's degree from Columbia Southern University in Orange Beach, Alabama, and a Ph.D. from Trinity School of Natural Health in Warsaw, Indiana.

Known affectionately as "bagel" by his family and friends, he owned and operated with his family a bagel shop and deli as well as a health food store for a number of years. After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, decided to sign up as a volunteer for the Ellicott City Volunteer Fire Department, where he served for 20 years, earning multiple awards and honors, including, Firefighter of the Year, Gift of Life and Top Firefighter Responder.

Shawn Lynch, of Westminster, who worked alongside Ralston at the fire department for 17 years, described him as calm and friendly.

"Craig was a rock, he was not a person to panic, he was a very solid person, a great thinker and he had one of the best personalities you could ever ask for," he said.

Ralston's spirit of giving back to the community was shared by his family. His wife, Kat serves as an EMS sergeant and station chaplain at the Ellicott City department and his daughter, Michielle Saunders, and grandson, Craig, are family volunteers at the station as well, according to the release.

The Ralstons would visit more than 200 neighborhoods each holiday season dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Claus on a sleigh built by the fire department to spread holiday cheer throughout Ellicott City.

Kat said her husband's calmness and stability is what she misses most about him.

"I tell people it's like missing the back of you," she said. "I always knew he was behind me and I always knew he would do whatever it was we needed to do and I would always be safe, so him gone is missing that back piece."

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Saunders said she hopes her father's life will inspire others to serve.

"His legacy is that he wants other people to serve in public service and give back," she said. "Go to your local fire department, volunteer at your school, your church, whatever you need to do."

The Fallen Heroes Day Ceremony will be held at 1 p.m., at the Fallen Heroes Memorial at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, 200 East Padonia Road in Timonium.

Other heroes honored include:

— Deputy Scott McArdle, Anne Arundel County Sheriff's Office

— Captain Dillon Rinaldo, Baltimore City Fire Department

— Firefighter/EMT Rodney Pitts, III, Baltimore City Fire Department

— Firefighter Mark Fisher, Jr., Montgomery County Department of Fire and Rescue Service and Frederick County Department of Fire and Rescue Service

— Firefighter/EMT Bryan Hamilton, Naval District Washington Fire Department and Active Life Member, Bryans Road Volunteer Fire Department

— Firefighter Brice Trossbach, Naval District Washington Fire Department and Volunteer Firefighter, Leonardtown Fire Department and Bay District Volunteer Fire Department

— Firefighter/EVD Henry Eckhardt, Jr., Life Member of the Reisterstown Volunteer Fire Company