02/28/2026
One of CFC’s Finest Couples Honored
🔥🚒 Rosa Fire Department – Member Spotlight 🚒🔥
As part of our continued community outreach to introduce the faces behind Rosa Fire Department, we are honored to spotlight two individuals who truly need no introduction to the Rosa community. William and Joan Murray are not only founding members of the department, but lifelong examples of dedication to faith, family, country, and community.
Married for 71 years and proud members of Rosa Fire Department for 44 of those years, William and Joan’s life together has been defined by service in every form. William was born and raised on Berry Mountain before dedicating 22 years to serving our great country in the United States Air Force. Joan, born in Cullman County and moved to Blount County in 1949, built her life on strong community roots and unwavering faith. As a military family, they moved across the country wherever duty called, raising their children along the way and instilling in them the same values of hard work, integrity, and service that have guided their own lives.
After completing his military career, William and Joan returned home to Berry Mountain in 1982 — the same year they became some of the founding members of Rosa Fire Department. For more than four decades, a total of 44 years, they have faithfully served their neighbors, helping build the department from the ground up and setting an example for generations of firefighters who followed. Their service, however, does not stop at the fire hall. They are long-serving members of Pine Grove Missionary Baptist Church, where their faith has remained the foundation of their lives, and they have also given of their time and talents through Carpenters for Christ, helping meet needs beyond our local community.
Adding to their remarkable story, there was also a season in their lives when William and Joan were over-the-road truck drivers — and as many would say, they could drive anything with gears, trailers, and wheels. Whether serving their country, raisin