Pocono News Section

Procession & Funeral Details Set

Procession & Funeral Details Set - Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 07:56AM EST

Reported by: Joe Holden
Thursday, Jan 10, 2008 @07:56am EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- Thousands are expected to bid a final farewell this morning to a fallen Scranton firefighter.

The procession begins in the Electric City by 9:45 this morning as the casket of Captain James Robeson is brought from the Thomas Hughes Funeral Home to St. Patrick's Church. The procession will begin on St. Ann’s Street and proceed to Main Ave. It then turns left on Washburn Street to curls around to St. Patrick’s Church on Jackson Street.

Traffic on Main Avenue will be stopped until the procession is complete around 10:30 this morning. The casket will be placed on a Scranton fire engine during the procession. The public is invited to show their support as the procession reaches Main Avenue.

Scranton Fire Department Lt. Brian Scott said, "We lost a family member. All the support that we can get, we truly appreciate and it means a lot to us. It absolutely does."

The funeral service will begin shortly after 10:30 A.M. There's seating inside for 700 and that's not going to be nearly enough. That's why viewing areas are being set up at a couple locations in the city. You can also see complete coverage right from your home on WBRE.

The preparations have been completed for what will be a massive funeral procession through the streets of West Scranton. Scranton Public Safety Director Ray Hayes said, “It is a major undertaking for the city because of the logistics, and the number of people involved.”

A couple thousand firefighters from near and far will join in paying public tribute to Captain Robeson. Scranton City Hall will close. City fire personnel will have the day off. Stations will be operated by volunteers from neighboring companies.

Scranton Fire Lt. Brian Scott said, “We are going through a very hard time as a fire department, as you've heard before, we're a family and we lost a family member and all the support we can get we appreciate and it means a lot to us.”

Following the funeral service around 12:30 P.M., the procession will continue from Jackson Street to the entrance of the Cathedral Cemetery.

We’ll have complete coverage of the funeral coming up on WBRE and WYOU as well as right here on PAHomePage.com.

Coming up on Saturday, the two people Robeson was trying to rescue, Richard and Maria Fenstermacher will be laid to rest at Abington Hill Cemetery.