Thomas Campbell Apartment residents remember neighbor lost to fire
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
A collage of photos of Frances Venen was on display at the memorial Thursday.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
South Strabane fire Chief Jordan Cramer speaks at Thomas Campbell Apartments Thursday.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Thomas Campbell Apartments board President Arthur Keys speaks about Frances Venen and the safety improvements they have made since last year’s fire.
It was a somber occasion at Thomas Campbell Apartments Thursday as residents gathered for a memorial service to remember Frances Venen.
The 78-year-old died following a fire that broke out in a sixth floor apartment at the South Strabane Township senior high-rise a year ago today. Venen died of smoke inhalation and thermal burns a few days later. Five other residents were injured.
Chris Stillwell, senior minister at Fairhill Manor Christian Church, had the chance to befriend Venen in the year before her death.
“She had energy. Franny had energy. She was not a big person, as you know, but she had a big spirit. A spirit so big it couldn’t be contained by a small body,” Stillwell said at Thursday’s memorial.
Stillwell went on to describe Venen as a kind person who had a, “servant’s heart,” always helping others even if her own resources were limited.
He recalled that about a month before the fire, Venen asked if she could attend the Christmas Eve service at Stillwell’s church, despite not being a member.
“I can tell you that as a minister for 18 years, nobody has asked me if they could come. I have to ask other people to come to church,” Venen said. “I said, ‘Of course you can come Franny, I would love to have you.’ Sadly, that wasn’t able to happen.”
Dr. Arthur Keys, president of the Thomas Campbell Apartments board, told residents that since the fire, they are in the process of installing a sprinkler system across both buildings and a new hardwired alarm system.
They have also trained residents in fire awareness and safety, and a maintenance employee now lives on site.
South Strabane fire Chief Jordan Cramer also spoke at the memorial, and praised the changes Thomas Campbell has made to better protect its residents.
Cramer worked at Peters Township Fire Department at the time of the Thomas Campbell fire, but said the incident has weighed heavily on the firefighters who responded that day.
“When I started here in South Strabane, many conversations with our talented firefighters touched on the Thomas Campbell fire at one point or another. Each and every time, you could see the pain and sadness that came to their face,” Cramer said. “It was clear to me that these men and women gave their absolute best to preserve life and property. Losing a patient in any type of incident is painful for us, let alone one during such a special time of the year.”
Cramer noted that South Strabane Township has also taken steps since the Thomas Campbell fire to improve its fire services, such as the transition to having a 24/7 department. The township also recently purchased a new fire truck with a 107-foot ladder.
“This ladder truck is capable of reaching almost all areas of Thomas Campbell. It’s one of the tallest in the industry, and it reaches about 40 feet more than our current truck. That’s about four more stories,” Cramer said.
During his remarks, Stillwell shared that he toured the damage to Thomas Campbell, including Venen’s apartment. He noticed a Christmas decoration that said only, “Noel.”
“It was just burned around the edges, but at the center where the holly and where the words were, it was clear,” Stillwell said. “Physically, it was a terrible ordeal that I’m sure she had to endure, but we do take comfort from her faith and her strength, and knowing that her spirit was always too big for that body, anyway.”