Memorials to UTU members killed on the job in 2009

Lenard E. Noice
Locomotive engineer Lenard “Lenny” Eugene Noice, 59, of Albuquerque, N.M., and a member of Local 1168 in Clovis, died Jan. 16, 2009, in a BNSF train accident. Noice worked for BNSF for 35 years. He is survived by his wife, Carla, son, Lenny Noice II, a twin brother, a sister and both parents. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran. Lenny was a man of many talents who loved to fly-fish and work with a wide variety of electronics.

Craig Lang
Union Pacific switchman Craig Lang, 41, a member of Local 367 in Omaha, Neb., was killed Jan. 28 in a UP yard accident in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Investigators said Lang stepped off a train on which he was riding and was struck by a coal train going in the opposite direction.

Mike A. Wilcox
Conductor Mike Wilcox, 43, a member of Local 113, Winslow, Ariz., was killed Feb. 7 in Holbrook, Ariz., after being struck by a passing train. He hired on at BNSF in 1998, and is survived by his wife, Tina, and three children. Mike was a hard-working employee and a devoted family man, active in local youth programs, as a coach and volunteer, and an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish.

Saxton Haselwood
Conductor Saxton Haselwood, 26, a member of Local 1227 in Wichita, Kan., was killed Feb. 8, 2009, in a switching accident at Union Pacific’s Herrington Yard outside Herrington, Kan. Haselwood, unmarried, was on the job just two years.

Gregory Blevins
Conductor Gregory “Greg” Blevins, 56, president of Local 1168, Clovis, N.M., and a 35-year BNSF employee, was killed Feb. 28, 2009, in a switching accident at Yeso, N.M. He is survived by a son, daughter, two sisters and four grandchildren. He was a U.S. Army veteran. He was the second Local 1168 member killed in 2009, the first being Leonard Noice on Jan. 28. Greg was a man of infectious laughter who gave of himself in service to others. He had an ability to brighten one’s day and put a smile on one’s face. He was always very proud of his children and grandchildren and never tired of speaking about their accomplishments.

Jared Boehlke
Conductor Jared Boehlke, 33, a member of Local 212, Albany, N.Y., was killed May 10, 2009, in a CSX yard accident in Selkirk, N.Y. He is survived by his wife, Heather, three year-old-daughter, mother, father and ten brothers. Jared was a man of strong faith, an avid knife maker, and was extremely devoted to his family and friends.

Dustin Moles
Conductor Dustin Moles, 33, a member of Local 1972, Birmingham, Ala., was killed June 24, 2009, when the Alabama & Tennessee River Railroad train on which he was riding derailed while being switched into a shipper facility. He hired on in 2005. Dustin was a police officer prior to hiring out with the railroad.

Samuel W. Lundy
BNSF conductor Samuel W. Lundy, 44, a 17-year member of UTU Local 1000, Minneapolis, was killed Dec. 29 in Minneapolis when, during a switching operation, a rail car derailed and pinned him against a building. He is survived by his wife, Jackie, and three children.