Dennis Lynn Brent, a Charlottesville firefighter and former chief of the Palmyra Volunteer Fire Company, passed away Saturday, Dec. 1, after a nearly two-year long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Brent will be honored at a Line of Duty Death funeral service on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 11 a.m. at the Ridge Street Fire Station located at 203 Ridge St.
Brent started running with the Palmyra Fire Company when he was 17 years old and served for 38 years, holding several positions before ultimately being named chief. In 2000, Brent’s dream came true when he was hired as a firefighter for the Charlottesville Fire Department.
He served there for 17 years before retiring due to an occupational cancer.
“Dennis was a “firefighter’s firefighter”. He lived all of his life placing the needs of others before himself and he did so with grace, humility, and love. He will be missed but will never be forgotten and the men and women of the Charlottesville Fire Department Family will proudly carry forward his legacy of selfless service,” said Charlottesville Fire Chief Andrew Baxter, “We invite the Charlottesville community to join us on Saturday to remember, honor, and celebrate Dennis’ life of service to our community.”
“Dennis became a member of the Charlottesville Fire Department Honor Guard because he felt an obligation to honor any firefighter who died in the line of duty and the irony is that we will be honoring him in the same way as those who fell before him,” said Mike Brent, Dennis’s brother, who also serves as chief of the Fluvanna Fire Department.
The family asks that contributions be made in Dennis’ memory to the American Cancer Society or by sending a check to Palmyra Volunteer Fire Company at P.O. Box 164, Palmyra, VA 22963.
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