MCALESTER, Okla. — The silence was deafening.
As the radio rang out for Alderson Fire Unit #83 one last time, there was no answer. Jim McCoy, the late fire chief, wouldn't be answering.
Instead, his only son, Erik, would pick up the call for him.
WATCH: Alderson Fire Chief laid to rest one week after drag race accident:
The McAlester Expo Center, full of hundreds of friends and fellow first responders, was filled with emotion as the woman on the other end of the radio said, 'We'll take it from here.'
McCoy, who was 60 years old, was one of the three men killed in the first weekend of November in accidents all related to Hartshorne's annual H-Town Throwdown drag race. He and a Haileyville reserve officer were struck and killed when one of the racecars lost control and crashed.
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For eight years, McCoy served on the Alderson Fire Department, advancing through the ranks to lead and serve his community as chief. Before his move into public service, he worked with in the oil and gas industry.
Emergency crews from all over spent the morning mourning with the McCoy's — Blanco, Haileyville, Tulsa. All of them, united in their grief for a fallen brother.
WATCH: 'Devastation' felt at vigil for 3 men killed in Hartshorne accidents over weekend
A Harley-riding, hardworking, kind-hearted man — that's how his family remembered him.
McCoy's wife of 41 years, Terryl, sat front row, alongside their two children, Erik and Whitney.
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The other two men killed were Justin Faulkner, husband of Hartshorne Mayor Ashley Faulkner, and Haileyville Officer Clint Lawrence.
A GoFundMe made in their honor raised over $22,000 as of Nov. 10.
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