RFD dedicates memorial garden to late engineer

ROCKINGHAM – A fallen firefighter has been forever memorialized.

The Rockingham Fire Department and Richmond County Hospice worked together to dedicate a flower and vegetable garden to remember Ed “Big Ed” Hairfield, an engineer for RFD and deputy chief of Richmond County Rescue Squad, who passed away in March after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

The flourishing garden, situated behind Hospice’s main office next to memorials of other Hospice residents, is now sprawling with an assortment of flowers and vegetables, including lavender plants, eggplant, tomatoes and yellow bell peppers.

“We sat down with his brother, Larry, and we talked to him about it and we were all in consensus,” said Fire Chief Harold Isler. “Let’s get something out here at [Richmond County Hospice] because they were so good to him. (They) were outstanding as far as his care and taking care of him.”

Isler said leftover money from fundraisers at Captain D’s and Holiday Restaurant for Hairfield’s care and treatment was used for the garden and the rest was donated to Richmond County Hospice.

“(Ed) would have wanted that money to go to help somebody else if it could,” Isler said.

During his time in hospice care, Hairfield would sometimes walk through the gardens and sit on the benches at Richmond County Hospice with family and friends that visited him.

“We spent every day out there, mornings and evenings,” said Kristy Player, RFD administrative assistant and Hairfield’s primary caregiver.

The other commemorative plaques throughout the Richmond County Hospice grounds dedicated to others who have passed provided inspiration for the memorial for Hairfield.

“We asked them what we would need to do to be able to get something with his name on it or something in place, and they told us that we could try to get a plaque,” Player said.