Funeral procession through 19th Ward set for fallen firefighter Herbie Johnson

The funeral procession for fallen Chicago Fire Department Capt. Herbie Johnson will run through the 19th Ward that he called home.

A funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Rita of Cascia High School, 7740 S. Western Ave. in Chicago.

The Rev. Frank Kurucz, pastor of St. Cajetan Roman Catholic Church, where Johnson was a parishioner, will be the celebrant. He expects the Mass will last about two hours.

The procession afterward will head south on Western Avenue to 111th Street, and west on 111th to Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery, 2755 W. 111th St.

As is often the case when a firefighter dies in the line of duty, dozens of fire departments are expected to send representatives to the funeral, Kurucz said.

The Rev. Thomas McCarthy, chairman of the board and chaplain at St. Rita, will deliver the homily, Kurucz said. The Rev. Thomas Mulchrone, chaplain for the Chicago Fire Department, will deliver the eulogy, Kurucz said.

Johnson, 54, lived in the Morgan Park community. He died Friday from injuries suffered while battling a house fire in the 2300 block of West 50th Place. He is the first Chicago firefighter to die in the line of duty since 2010.

Visitation begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday at St. Rita, the high school attended by Johnson and his children.