Editor,
On behalf of myself and my family, I would like to publicly thank Lifeguard Chief Kevin Snow, and Fire Chief Kris Head, and the fine men and women of the Laguna Beach Marine Safety and Fire Departments for honoring us with their presence at a memorial service held last Friday at Treasure Island Park in Laguna Beach for our late father, Michael E. Shook. He passed away on Dec. 26, 2010, at the age of 76.
As a young man, Michael served as a lifeguard for the city of Long Beach and later joined the Los Angeles County Fire Department where he served for nearly 33 years, retiring as captain. Michael’s son and my brother, Steven Shook, followed in his father’s footsteps and he too is now a fire captain for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The firefighters and lifeguards from Laguna Beach who attended that day never knew my father; they never served with him, yet they came. They came to honor him and to stand by his family, to support them in their time of need. This is the brotherhood of the fire and rescue service, and it is what my father loved most about being a firefighter.
While I have always considered myself fortunate to say “I live in Laguna Beach”, I can now say it with a greater sense of pride.
Thank you,
Stuart Shook, Laguna Beach
