State Flags Lowered to Honor Fallen Victoria, MN, Firefighter

Victoria Firefighter Laura Ann Zumbusch-Wood, 44, died of occupational cancer.

By Paul Walsh

Source Star Tribune (TNS)

Aug. 22, 2025

2 min read

Flags on all state buildings flew at half-staff Thursday to honor a Twin Cities firefighter who died in the line of duty.

Laura Ann Zumbusch-Wood, 44, died from kidney cancer on July 27. Zumbusch-Wood was a volunteer firefighter for the city of Victoria for 16 years.

A proclamation issued by Gov. Tim Walz directed flags on all state buildings to be lowered to half-staff on Thursday, the day of Zumbusch-Wood’s funeral.

The proclamation also noted that the Zubusch-Wood’s death came in the line of duty. The National Institutes of Health has said that “the link between cancer, including cancers of the kidney, and occupational exposure in firefighters has been well established.”

Classifying Zubusch-Wood’s death as coming in the line of duty makes her immediate family eligible for a onetime payment from the state.

Walz noted Thursday that in addition to her service as a firefighter, Zubusch-Wood “contributed to her community through her work in landscaping and design, playing a pivotal role in helping plan the city of Victoria’s new fire station.”

Though her doctors did not think she would live past the end of 2024, Zubusch-Wood’s online obituary read, she lived long enough to attend the station’s groundbreaking ceremony in June.

Walz’s proclamation also noted that Zubusch-Wood’s legacy continues through her son, Zachary, who became a Victoria volunteer firefighter in July 2024.