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Remembering
Thomas “Emmett” Kuehl
Elkton Volunteer Fire Department — South Dakota
Classification: Volunteer
Rank: Firefighter
Date of Death: April 11, 2006
Age: 38
“ E mmett” Kuehl was a true hero to many in
the Elkton community. Community
service was Emmett’s passion. He was
a 17-year veteran of the Elkton Fire
Department and was an EMT
for 16 years with the Elkton
Ambulance crew. Emmett had
a knack for being the first one
to respond to a fire or ambulance
call, even getting to
the fire hall in his underwear
and getting dressed
on the way to the call.
Elkton was life for
Emmett. Whether it was
a community event or a
school activity, the one
thing that you could count
on was Emmett’s presence.
He was a staunch supporter
of Elkton athletics and will be
remembered by many in the
community for his antics when
the boys’ basketball team made
the state tournament for the 1st time
in 85 years. Emmett made a bet with
the team that if they made it to “state” he
would shave his shoulder length hair completely off.
Needless to say, the boys did make it to state, and he
made good on his promise. He even went one better
and painted his head blue for the championship
game, which the team did win. To show their respect
to Emmett for driving the ambulance to all the home
football games for the past 16 years, the 2006 football
team dedicated the season to Emmett and went on
to finish as Runner-up in the class 9AA championships
at the state tournament.
Emmett enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson
and attending the Sturgis Motorcycle
Rally. He also enjoyed cheering for
his beloved Dallas Cowboys and
the Northern State Wolves.
Emmett was a member of the
Sioux River ABATE.
Family was another big part
of his life. Grateful for sharing
in his life is his family:
his sister, Dawn Uilk, and
her husband, Mike, and
children Megan, Kayla,
and Kara; his brother,
Steve, and his wife,
Melanie, and their children
Brooke and Dylan;
his brother, Rick, and his
wife, Pam, and their children
Shaylee, Janaya, and
Jayden, his brother, Chad, and
his fiancée, Donna; his brother,
Bill, and his wife, Charity, and
their children Mandy, Shauna, and
Billie Jo; his brother, Shane, and his
wife, Sara, and their daughter Natalie;
his nephew Chris; and many aunts, uncles,
cousins, and firefighter and EMT brothers and sisters.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Marie
(McClemans) Kuehl and Milo (Hank) Kuehl, and a
brother, Chuck.
His life was tragically cut short as a result of injuries
sustained while operating at the scene of a fire.
He lived life to the fullest and made friends with
everyone he met. There is a huge void in the life of
everyone that Emmett touched.