Village honors Saunders

GREENWICH — The village honored one of its own by renaming a street for fallen firefighter John Saunders. On July 2, Court Drive was renamed John Saunders Drive. The road was chosen because "it leads the way to one of his (Saunders') favorite pastimes, pulling at the Greenwich Fireman's Festival, according to a post online from the Village of Greenwich. John Saunders, 41, of the Tri-Community Joint Fire Department, died while fighting a single-family home fire in the 700 block of U.S. 224 west of New State Road South on April 17. The road re-naming is the latest action by the community showing support to Saunders and his family. Saunders' funeral on April 26 was attended by hundreds in the community and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's office released a statement ordering certain flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Saunders' sacrifice on the day of his funeral. "In honor of the life and service of Tri-Community Fire District firefighter John Saunders, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has ordered that the flags of the U.S. and the state of Ohio to be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout Huron County, the Ohio Statehouse, the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts and the Rhodes State Office Tower today, and will remain until sunset on the day of his funeral," the release stated.