CARIBOU, Maine – When Tyler Raymond drives by Caribou’s fire station this holiday season, the angel-shaped light glowing nearby will forever remind him of his father, Danny Raymond.
Danny Raymond died in March after a car accident on Route 1 in Caribou. He had been a full-time firefighter and paramedic at Caribou Fire & Ambulance for 28 years. He served as captain for seven years prior to his death at age 57.
Soon after Danny’s death, longtime friend and former firefighter Troy Haney got the idea to raise funds to replace Caribou’s over 20-year-old holiday streetlights. Danny’s former colleagues at the fire station launched the Captain Danny Raymond Light Up the Community Fund, which raised over $70,000 for new lights from over 60 business owners and individual donors.
The 62 new lights include ribbons, candy canes, snowmen and snowflakes on street poles stretching from Bennett Drive to High Street and down Sweden Street. The lights are more than just pretty holiday images. They honor a man who loved installing the city’s lights every Christmas and spreading joy to people, said Tyler Raymond.
“When I was a kid, we’d walk down from the fire station to downtown to see all the lights,” said Tyler Raymond, now 26. “He loved seeing the smiles on children’s faces.”
Danny Raymond was on the fire department’s holiday light committee, which installed the lights every year, said his former colleague Scott Michaud.
After raising funds, firefighters knew they wanted to purchase the largest lights they could find to honor their friend. With the donations, they were able to extend the lights all the way down Sweden Street for the first time in many years and install new electric lines to ensure the lights shine for seasons to come,Michaud said.
“We’ve gotten great comments on social media and people stopping by the station to say how good they look,” Michaud said.
On Saturday, members of Caribou Fire & Ambulance, Tyler Raymond, his fiancee Elizabeth DeFanti and mother Shelby Raymond gathered to unveil the angel light that the Raymond family purchased in memory of Danny.
As she stood below the angel, Shelby recalled the many holidays when her husband took pride in helping to brighten the community.
“He would have been happy with [the new lights],” Shelby Raymond said.
