Local firefighter killed in the line of duty
Capt. Claud “Paw” Messer was brought to Lake Junaluska Sunday via fire truck. Cory Vaillancourt photo
A volunteer firefighter who died while responding to a call was laid to rest on Sunday, after a procession made up of dozens of first responders accompanied his casket from the Jonathan Creek Fire Department to Lake Junaluska’s Stuart Auditorium.
Capt. Claud G. Messer, 74, of Jonathan Creek, was killed around 6 a.m. Sept. 20 when the fire department vehicle he was driving rear-ended a log truck turning in to a lumberyard. Messer helped found the department in 1986, and served as chair of its board of directors. A Haywood County native, Messer leaves behind his wife of 54 years, Judy, as well as a brother, two sisters, two daughters, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Messer’s family has asked that memorials and donations be made in his honor to the Jonathan Creek Fire Department, P.O. Box 158, Waynesville, NC 28786.
