Farewell to a firefighter

LANSING — Family, friends and firefighters from across the nation will pay final respects to fallen comrade Dennis Rodeman today.

Thousands are expected for a funeral service at Breslin Center on the Michigan State University campus, which will be followed by a fire truck-filled procession that will carry Rodeman more than 25 miles through downtown Lansing and on to a rural cemetery near Charlotte for burial.

Along the Lansing portions of the route are Sparrow Hospital, where his wife, Kate, works as a trauma nurse; Fire Station No. 1, where a U.S. flag will fly from a ladder truck in tribute; Lansing City Hall and the Michigan Capitol.

Rodeman, 35, died one week ago after being struck by a hit-and-run driver. The seven-year veteran of the Lansing Fire Department had been collecting funds for muscular dystrophy research with fellow firefighters on the city’s south side when he was killed. The driver who hit him has been charged with murder.

The celebration of Rodeman’s life began Tuesday night as hundreds lined up at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes’ Lansing Chapel for visitation. At 7:30 a.m. today, an escort of Lansing police and fire vehicles will arrive to carry Rodeman’s casket to the Breslin Center, where the funeral service is set for 10 a.m.

LFD Chaplain Doug Bradshaw is expected among speakers at the 90-minute service, which will feature military honors for the former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq. Rodeman, who grew up in Eaton County, also was a volunteer firefighter in Vermontville before joining the Lansing Fire Department.

Lansing Firefighter Steve Babcock said firefighters from Chicago, New York, Indianapolis and across Michigan and even Canada are expected Wednesday.

Babcock has said the service is meant to create memories for the family. Rodeman had married in June and his wife expects their child in April. He also leaves behind his parents and two sisters.

Doors open to the public at Breslin at 8:45 a.m. for those wishing to attend the service. Parking is available in university Lot 66A at Kalamazoo Street and Harrison Road and Lot 63W at the Breslin Center, located at the corner of Harrision Road and Shaw Lane.

For those who don’t attend the service, the city and LFD have organized the lengthy procession from the Breslin to West Carmel Cemeteries near Charlotte.

Randy Hannan of Mayor Virg Bernero’s Office said other than the flag at Station No. 1, where the funeral procession will pause briefly, there are no specific tributes planned along the route.

“People will do whatever they want to do,” Hannan said.

The city is aware some veterans’ groups will be turning out with flags along the route.

Officials at Sparrow Hospital said a special decal honoring Rodeman has been designed and will be on display there. Rodeman, who also worked as an emergency medical technician for the Fire Department, died at Sparrow.

City officials expect traffic delays from noon to 2 p.m. in and around downtown Lansing and urge motorists to be patient or seek alternate routes.

The procession will begin at the corner of Kalamazoo Street and Harrison Road, then follow this route:

West on Michigan Avenue to Grand Avenue

North on Grand Avenue to Shiawassee Street

West on Shiawassee to Capitol Avenue

South on Capitol Avenue to St. Joseph Street

West on St. Joseph to the Interstate 496 ramp at Pine Street

Immediate family and friends will attend the burial at West Carmel Cemetery in Carmel Township outside Charlotte; because the cemetery is small, other vehicles from the procession will be asked to use eastbound M-50 and northbound Interstate 69 to return to Lansing.

To accommodate funeral traffic, the Capital Area Transportation Authority expects system-wide bus detours will start on and around campus at 9 a.m. and downtown at noon.

Those attending the funeral should arrive at least a half hour before the service. Doors open at 8:45 a.m. Parking will be available in Lot 66A at Kalamazoo Street and Harrison Road and Lot 63W at the Breslin Center, located at the corner of Harrison Road and Shaw Lane.

Contact Christopher Behnan at (517) 377-1261 or cbehnan@lsj.com . Follow him on Twitter @LansingCB.