New memorial honors 18 Abilene city employees who lost their lives

A dedication was held at the Abilene Convention Center for the unavailing of the new “Fallen Heroes Memorial Plaza.” This new plaza honors City of Abilene employees who’ve sacrificed their lives to serve Abilene and its residents. These types of memorials are traditionally reserved for soldiers or first responders.

However, Abilene’s new fallen hero memorial plaza is dedicated to city employees in all departments who have lost their lives in service to the Abilene community.

Director of Public Works Max Johnson also participated in the Memorial Plaza committee and spoke about some of the efforts involved in the project.

“Going back into history and looking at it was a detailed search. An in-depth search. Looking for all of the fatalities while people were on duty to be memorialized. We hope that by this memorial and people in the coming years, they can see the dedication that people have had through the years to make things better for all citizens of Abilene,” Johnson said.

18 individuals, whose occupations span from police officers and firefighters to members of the water and parks departments, are now immortalized within the plaza. It’s a testament that the son of one of those memorialized, Jess Moore, shows the community’s appreciation for all striving to improve it.

“This is my dad, Jess Herbert Moore. He gave up his life for the city, doing his job. It’s quite an honor. And I think it’s well deserved. No matter what job it is, whether it’s the sanitation workers to the street workers, the police officer, or firemen, appreciate them”, Jess Moore said.

For the families of these fallen city employees, these effigies carry more than simply a name in stone; they represent a dedication from the city that their loved ones truly mattered.