Falkenhan Family Continues to Heal

Gladys Falkenhan said she still has moments when she hopes her husband, Mark, will walk in the door and tell her he was just away on business.

Those moments are fleeting and Falkenhan quickly returns to her new reality: living without the love of her life. Mark Falkenhan, a 43-year-old volunteer firefighter from the Lutherville Volunteer Fire Co., died Jan. 19 while .

became the first firefighter in Baltimore County to die in the line of duty fighting a fire since 1984.

“I still have days when I’m out and something happens and I think ‘I need to tell Mark about this’ and then it comes back to me that he’s not coming home,” said Gladys Falkenhan, who lives in Middle River.

Life is slowly returning to a semblance of normalcy for Falkenhan, 39, along with her sons Christian, 15, and Garrett, 6. She has returned to work part-time at the Family Health Center at Franklin Square Hospital Center.

Christian Falkenhan is about finished with his first season as a member of the junior varsity lacrosse team at Kenwood High School, while Garrett has shown an early passion for the fire department.

"Overall, given the time that has passed, we are doing pretty well and continue to adjust to life without Mark," Gladys Falkenhan said.

A private person, Falkenhan was thrust into the spotlight following Mark’s death.

Much of the state, and even the country, mourned with the Falkenhan family as Mark received a with full firefighter honors in a service that was attended by thousands of people, some of who came from as far away as Seattle to pay their respects.

Mark Falkenhan also spent 16 years as a career firefighter/paramedic in the Baltimore County Fire Department before spending the last four years of his life working for the U.S. Secret Service. In addition, he was a lifetime member and past chief at the Middle River Volunteer & Ambulance Co.

Thanks For the Support

Gladys Falkenhan said the outpouring of support has been amazing and has helped her and her family get through this trying time.

“The good days outweigh the bad ones, and when those bad days come, we just have to roll with it,” she said. “It is what it is. I’ve had people come up to me and say they can’t believe how strong I’ve been through all of this.

“But what am I supposed to do? I have to keep living because that’s what Mark would have wanted. Plus, I have two young boys that need me to be there for them.”

The hardest part for Falkenhan moving forward has been trying to balance everything in her life. Along with getting kids back and forth to school and other activities, Falkenhan has also made an effort to attend as many events as possible where groups want to pay respect to Mark in some way.

The latest such event comes at 1 p.m. today at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium. Six police officers and firefighters who have died in the line of duty in the past year, including Mark Falkenhan, will be honored at the annual .

The ceremony will include a procession of more than 25 honor guard units from across the state, police motorcycles, mounted units, bagpipers and drummers. Gov. Martin O'Malley and County Executive Kevin Kamenetz are scheduled to speak at the event. 

A week after the ceremony, on May 13, the Baltimore County Fallen Firefighters Fund will co-sponsor a for the Falkenhan family. The event, a bull and oyster roast, will be held at 7 p.m. at the Towson Center at .

These events come after Mark Falkenhan was awarded the during a ceremony in March at Goucher College. Also, Gladys Falkenhan .

“All of these events are important to us as a family because of the way Mark died,” Falkenhan said. “If someone wants to do something to honor Mark, it’s only respectful that we are there to say thank you.

“Some events like the Fallen Heroes Ceremony take on a more solemn tone than others. What I try to stress during all of these events is that it is important to remember how Mark lived and not how he died.”

Remembering a Real Hero

People associated with the fire department are among those who have been most supportive of the family. There isn’t a day that goes by, Falkenhan said, that someone in the fire department hasn’t been there for them in some way.

This includes members of Lutherville Volunteer Fire Co. letting the boys spend the day at the station, friends offering a shoulder to cry on or helping her with chores around the house.

“Growing up in the fire department, you understand there is a brotherhood when someone is sick or needs help in some way,” Falkenhan said. “But to see the love my family has received the last four months is amazing.

“We are trying to move on with our lives and other people are doing the same but we still have our moments, and having such an outpouring of love has gotten us through these last few months.”

Baltimore County Fire Department Battalion Chief Kyrle Preis III, who entered the fire academy with Mark Falkenhan, said no one that knew him will ever let his memory fade.

“Mark’s death was a tremendous loss on so many levels,” Preis said. “He was a great role model and an inspiration. For him to be honored Friday is very special.”

Fire Department Chief John J. Hohman said what makes the fire department special is that its members never forget one of their own. He added that the circumstances that led to Falkenhan’s death are still under investigation.

“Mark was so special in so many ways and it is important for us to show his family that we will never forget and we will always be there for them,” Hohman said.