SE Fifth Avenue In Estacada Renamed In Honor Of Corporal Jeremy Loveless (Photo) -03/17/17
On Monday, March 13th, 2017 the Estacada City Council approved an application to change the name of SE Fifth Avenue in Estacada to SE Jeremy Loveless Avenue. This change will go into effect on April 13th, 2017. This was done to honor Army Corporal Jeremy Loveless, a husband, father, and former volunteer firefighter with the Estacada Rural Fire District who was killed on Memorial Day, 2006 in Mosul, Iraq. Jeremy Loveless became a volunteer firefighter with Estacada Rural Fire District in February of 2004. He quickly decided that the fire service was his calling and that he would work towards obtaining his paramedic license. After his first year with Estacada Fire, Jeremy joined the United States Army as a way to pay for paramedic school and provide for his family. Jeremy deployed to Iraq with the Army's 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. On May 29th, 2006 Corporal Loveless was riding in the turret of a medically equipped Stryker vehicle during combat operations in Mosul, Iraq. Normally the medics are safely tucked away in the patient treatment area of the Stryker. Jeremy loved to ride the turret to "people watch" and throw candy to the children as they patrolled the streets of Mosul. In this situation, Jeremy volunteered for the turret position as it allowed an additional crew member to be deployed outside of the vehicle during an operation. As the Stryker vehicle came under small arms fire, Cpl. Loveless was killed. Jeremy's Stryker buddies would say of him that they were glad to have him in their Stryker vehicle. Jeremy leaves behind a wife, daughter and family. In 2016 Bennet Johnson (Fearless Brewing) and Bob Morrisey (Estacada Fire District) began the process of applying for the street name change with the City of Estacada. Bill Hilands of Estacada volunteered to pay all of the fees associated with this street name change. There is only one address on SE 5th Ave that this street name change will effect, the Estacada Rural Fire District's main fire station. The new address of this station will be 261 SE Jeremy Loveless Avenue. This Memorial Day an official ribbon cutting event will be held to commemorate the street name change. Part of this event will be the installation of the new road signs. The details of this event will be released as they become available.