The memorial service will be held at the Chief Alchesey Activity Center, located next to the high school on Falcon Way, off Arizona Highway 73. A funeral service for Randall Bonito Jr. will follow the memorial service.
Jess Pearce, 50, of Peoria, AZ, the pilot of the aircraft, was also killed in the same crash and will be honored at a memorial scheduled for 10:00 A.M., August 2nd, at the LDS Church, 22034 N. 83rd Avenue in Peoria, Arizona. Two other helitack crewmembers, Kristy Johnson, 30, of Cibecue, AZ and Floyd Walker, 37, of the Seven Mile community of Whiteriver, were injured in the crash and remain hospitalized.
The helitack crew was responding to reports of smoke in the area of Aspen Ridge, on the White Mountain Apache Reservation, when the helicopter went down.
The White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Ft. Apache Agency of the BIA offer their sincerest sympathies to the families of the deceased in this time of grief and sadness. The memorial service for Randall Bonito Jr. is open to the public, and fire fighters and others acquainted with the family are welcome to attend.
