Justin E. Townsend, 17, of Dagsboro, passed away Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 as a result of an automobile accident while responding to a reported brush fire.

Justin was a student at Sussex Technical High School in Georgetown and a volunteer fireman for the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department.

Justin is survived by his father and stepmother, Bryan and Melissa Townsend; his mother, Maryann Johnson and stepfather, Virgil Chandler; and his grandparents, Betty Lou Townsend and Pete and Sharon Johnson, all of Dagsboro. Justin is also survived by his aunts and uncles, Clayton and Angie Townsend of Georgetown, Elizabeth and Wayne Mueller of Millsboro, Christine and Jake Stansel of San Diego, Calif. and many cousins. Justin was preceded in death by his brother, Steven A. Townsend, in January, 2012.

A visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 5, at the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 6, at the Indian River High School in Dagsboro, where friends may call after 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations in Justin's memory to the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department Building Fund, Attention Justin Townsend Memorial, P.O. Box 128, Dagsboro, DE 19939.
The Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department will remember and celebrate junior firefighter Justin Townsend's life during a public viewing and funeral service with full firefighter honors, scheduled for next weekend in Dagsboro.

The first of two viewings will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 5, at the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department, 31818 Waples Street. A second viewing will be held Saturday, Oct. 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside the Indian River High School auditorium, located on Armory Road in Dagsboro.

A full firefighter's funeral will commence immediately following the Saturday viewing. Junior firefighter Townsend will be interred at Redman's Cemetery on Iron Branch Road in Dagsboro. A procession will lead from Indian River High School to Townsend's final resting place. A reception will follow at the Dagsboro Fire Hall.

The public is invited to attend these events, and is encouraged to line the procession route, to pay final respects to Townsend, who was tragically lost in a motor vehicle crash while responding to an alarm Sept. 27. His passing is the first line-of-duty death for the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department in its 69-year history.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations in Justin's honor be made to the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department. Updates will be posted at www.dasgsborovfd.com.
SELBYVILLE, Del. (AP) -September 28, 2012 (WPVI) -- Delaware State Police say a teenage firefighter was killed in a crash while heading to the Dagsboro Fire Company to answer an emergency brush fire alarm.


State police say 17-year-old Justin Townsend of Dagsboro was killed in the crash Thursday afternoon north of Selbyville. Investigators say Townsend was a passenger in a pickup truck driven by 18-year-old John Morton Jr.

State police say the truck spun on a curve and the vehicle struck a pole and overturned. Townsend was pronounced dead at the scene. Morton was taken to Beebe Hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released.