Dear editor,

The family of Laura Elizabeth Smith Pullam would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to so many in the community.  The outpouring of respect and love shown to Laura and our family has been tremendous.

We would especially like to thank the staff and management of Care Ambulance.  Care was with us throughout every step of making the funeral arrangements.

They arranged the Honor Guard, spoke during the service, and set up the trust fund for Laura’s daughter, Belle.

In order for the Care Ambulance family to attend the service and participate as Honor Guard, ambulance companies from within and outside of Alabama offered personnel to ensure that emergency care was still available to the Care coverage area.  In this same manner condolences have been received from across the United States, and even from around the world.

After walking through the line of Care Ambulance’s Honor Guard outside the church, we were blessed with respect all the way to the cemetery.  As we left the church in Montgomery County, traveled through Lowndes County to the cemetery in Dallas County we passed Fire Departments blocking major intersections for the funeral procession.

These people, many of them volunteers, took the time out of their day to pay respect for one of their own.  While this is by no means a complete list, they are the ones we remember seeing:  Sardis VFD, Craig VFD, Burnsville VFD, Tyler VFD, Selma FD, Mosses VFD, Burkville VFD, Valley Grande VFD, Braggs VFD, Catoma VFD, and Letohatchee VFD.  The funeral and the procession was also aided by the Montgomery County, Lowndes County, and Dallas County Sheriffs Departments, along with the Selma Police Department and the Alabama State Troopers.

The family of Emergency Responders is a tight one, and one that often does not receive the acknowledgment they deserve.  But on this day they showed our family and friends that they are always their for one another, even in death.

Family of Laura Elizabeth Smith Pullam