Hundreds gather in Union for funeral service of Matthew Tobben

UNION, Mo. (KMIZ)

Saturday morning, hundreds of first responders gathered in Union, Missouri, for the funeral service of Matthew Tobben.

Among those present were representatives from Joplin, Miller, Union, Ashland, Ferguson, Southern Boone, Eureka, Des Peres, Valley Park, North Charleston, Gerald, and many other communities.

"We laid to rest a hell of a firefighter, but the men and women and the citizens of Missouri laid to rest a hero, a father, and a husband," said Boone County Assistant Fire Chief Gale Blomenkamp.

Tobben died Monday morning after a water rescue in North Columbia.

Matthew Tobben began his career in Union and found his final resting place there. His 19 years of dedication to the community were honored on Saturday as Union citizens took the time to pay their respects. Hundreds of vehicles drove by with red, white, and blue lights flashing.

"And then all these small towns on Highway 47 just lined the streets," Blomenkamp said. And so he touched a lot of people. And that means a lot."

The procession ended at East Central College, where the funeral service began. The service started with a Catholic ceremony, followed by a firefighter service.

I know we had very long procession and were pulling in here to the college when they were actually leaving the funeral home... it’s about a mile and a quarter," Blomenkamp said. "So, a lot of apparatus, a lot of caring people that want to come out and pay their respects."

Five unidentified colleagues of Tobben spoke on his behalf, many becoming emotional as they shared memories of their departed friend. One of them was his best man, Jake Heller, who said Tobben was a family man, provided for his family, and helped others, despite the consequences.

Tobben began his position in May. Boone County will begin looking to fill the position, but Blomenkamp said the department acknowledges the next person will have big shoes to fill.

"We looked long and hard to fill that void presented to us about two and a half years ago, unfortunately, with another line of duty death," said Blomenkamp. "We found the right person for the job, someone who was going to make a difference for us. He would have been there 15, 20 years, there's no doubt....so now to fill that void is going to be even harder because we found the guy that we wanted. We found the man that could do the job. And in the short amount of time he was with us, he made a big impact."

Many left emotional after the service concluded. Blomenkamp reassured everyone that Tobben's wife and children would be well taken care of.

"We've been with Jackie all week. We have J. Heller, who is one of our family liaisons. The fire chief obviously spent much--every day with her, and we will continue to support her in every way possible that we can," Blomenkamp said.