Wife of Slain Coeur d'Alene, ID, Fire Battalion Chief Closes Family Cider Business

Jul. 31—The wife of slain Coeur d'Alene Fire Battalion Chief John Morrison announced this week the end of a business that she started with her late husband: the Coeur d'Alene Cider Company.

Jill Morrison wrote on Facebook that Friday would be the shop's last day. It's located at 1327 E. Sherman Ave. in Coeur d'Alene

"The time has come to close the cider house," Jill Morrison wrote. "It's been a lot of fun over the years."

John Morrison, 52, was shot and killed on June 29 in what authorities said was an ambush by 20-year-old Wess Roley, who was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Also killed was Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, and injured was Coeur d'Alene Fire Department engineer David Tysdal. The 47-year-old continues to recover in a Colorado hospital after his wounds caused him to lose the use of his legs.

Jill Morrison, through department officials, said Thursday that she did not want to comment beyond what she wrote in her social media post.

"I wish I could keep it going, but life has changed, and I no longer have it in me to run it the way it deserves," she wrote. "To our customers: Thank you for your support, your loyalty, and for making this feel like more than a business.

"I'm proud of what we built here," she continued, "and I'm grateful to everyone who helped me make it what it was."

The business will be open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, according to its website.

"Thanks for being part of it," Jill Morrison wrote.

Following a month of grieving and honoring Morrison and Harwood, the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department has announced that officials have picked Captain Tom Hiltenbrand to become battalion chief.

Hiltenbrand replaces Morrison, "a man whose presence, wisdom, and courage shaped the very soul of our fire family," the department wrote in a news release. "His absence is deeply felt, but his legacy lives on in every life he touched — and in the continued service of those who follow in his footsteps."

The announcement congratulated Hiltenbrand for the promotion.

"His dedication, strength, and compassion have long made him a pillar of our department," the statement reads, "and we know he will carry this new responsibility with the same integrity and heart he's always shown."

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