CROSBY, Minn. — Several central Minnesota communities are mourning the loss of a paramedic who collapsed unexpectedly and died Wednesday night.
The Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office says Toby Rowan, who worked for Mille Lacs Health system in Onamia, was on a medical call when he suddenly collapsed. Other medical and law enforcement personnel on the scene attempted life saving measures, but Rowan did not survive.
Rowan also served the communities surrounding the Cuyana Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in Crosby. The hospital posted a tribute to the beloved paramedic on its Facebook Page.
"Toby worked at CRMC with honor and dedication to his patients and communities. His wife Darcy, also a part of the CRMC family, is a nurse in Recovery/PACU. The facility and surrounding communities are mourning the loss of one of own."
A Minnesota Emergency Medical Services honor guard escorted Rowan's body through downtown Crosby Thursday night, along with police and sheriff squads that led the hearse down Highway 201 to the Koop funeral home.
“This is hard for all of us,” said Emergency Medical Services Director Bob McLaughlin. “We are grateful that CRMC is truly a family.”
The post says Rowan's wife Darcy is also part of the CRMC family as a recovery nurse. He is also survived by his parents Deb and Jim Halter, sons Nick, 27, and Tyler, 22, and stepdaughters Devyn, 29, and Lauren, 25.
"Toby loved hunting, fishing, boating, camping, traveling, sitting on his 'blue chair' and spending time with dogs Grover and Ollie and a cat named Kevin," the post reads.
