Celestine Fire Department seeks community support for fallen firefighter tribute

Lucas A. Gehlhausen’s death still weighs on Celestine, and the Celestine Volunteer Fire Department is asking Dubois County residents to help honor him as the national memorial service prepares to recognize his sacrifice. Gehlhausen, 41, served with the department and died Sept. 7, 2025, in a motor vehicle accident while responding to a structure fire.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has placed Gehlhausen on its 2026 Roll of Honor, and he will be remembered during Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where nearly 1,000 family members are expected to gather. The annual tribute will honor 204 firefighters total, including 97 who died in 2025 and 107 who died in previous years.

For Celestine and the broader county, the remembrance carries a local meaning that reaches beyond the formal ceremony. Volunteer firefighters in rural communities often respond as neighbors first and emergency workers second, and Gehlhausen’s name now stands among the nation’s fallen while remaining part of the daily memory of the department he served.

The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend is scheduled for May 2-3 at the U.S. Fire Administration campus in Emmitsburg. The Candlelight Service is set for Saturday, May 2, followed by the National Memorial Service on Sunday, May 3.

The foundation is also urging communities to take part in the tribute from home and from local stations. Bells Across America for Fallen Firefighters will be observed on May 3, and Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters is set for April 26 through May 3. Many fire stations are encouraged to sound sirens at noon on Sunday, May 3, as part of the national remembrance.

The memorial weekend went ahead after federal officials confirmed the United States Fire Administration campus would be open despite earlier concern tied to the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. The foundation said the services will proceed as scheduled, keeping the focus on the firefighters and families who will gather in Emmitsburg.

For Dubois County, the request is simple and immediate: remember Gehlhausen on May 3, honor the work he did for Celestine, and help keep his service visible well beyond the first wave of grief.