Nick Theofilis lived to serve others.
“Nick was an incredible young man,” said Diane Fitzhenry, supervisor of Penn Hills EMS. “(He was) 23 years old, but as I’ve mentioned in other gatherings, he was quite accomplished. He had accomplished more milestones in his short life than many people more senior than him.”
A son of Penn Hills, Theofilis was a member of the high school’s Navy Junior ROTC until he graduated in 2017, an Eagle Scout and a volunteer firefighter with the Rosedale Fire Department. He worked as an EMS for Oklahoma EMS, White Oak EMS and began working as a Penn Hills paramedic in June 2022.
His life of good deeds was cut short on Nov. 27, 2022, when he was involved in an accident in Pittsburgh after transporting a patient to a nearby hospital.
Gone but not forgotten, the love Theofilis poured into his community is still being returned to him.
Family and friends, local government leaders and members of Penn Hills EMS and Rosedale Volunteer Fire Company gathered Nov. 27, two years since Theofolis’ end of watch, to honor in the council chambers of the Penn Hills Government Center to honor his memory.
“Over the past two years, he has been honored in so many things,” said Theofilis’ mother, Lori.
She attended the service with her husband, Peter Theofilis, and their son, Max.
She recalled when she and her family traveled to Washington, D.C., to the National EMS memorial, and her son had the most congressional delegates present. She said events like this have become familiar and noted the people honoring her son’s memory have become family.
According to Fitzhenry, not only was Theofilis a “testament to a true public servant,” he was a joy to be around.
As Rev. J-LaVon Kincaid led the room in prayer, Theofilis’ memorial wreath fell from the podium.
“Just so you know, that was Nick,” Fitzhenry said. “These are the kinds of things he always does to keep us on our toes. He must have thought that we were all too tearful. This is definitely Nick at work.
“His personality filled every room he walked into.”
Fitzhenry called Theofilis an angel and said he continues to watch over the community in many ways. His mother said she can feel Theofilis watching over her and the rest of the family.
Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, and state Rep. Joe McAndrew, D-Penn Hills, joined each other at the podium to present Theofilis’ family and the Penn Hills EMS workers with a $500,000 check for ambulance funding. They dedicated the grant to Theofilis. It will be used to purchase an ambulance in his memory.
Fitzhenry said in the summer of 2023, she learned the state offers the LSA Statewide Grant Program funded by the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act. The grants can be used for a variety of projects but specifically for the purchase of vehicles. Fitzhenry submitted an application for three new ambulances for the municipality in November 2023.
She said she worked with Costa and McAndrew to acquire the money, calling herself a pain in both of their sides until the money was procured.
“We combined today’s events because the grants were awarded in October — Oct. 21 to be exact. That same day, Gov. Josh Shapiro hosted the very first Pennsylvania Keystone Award recognition program in Harrisburg,” Fitzhenry said. “Nick was one of 12 public servants recognized at that very first service.”
Theofilis’ family had attended the event in Harrisburg and were the first to hear the municipality would be receiving money for a new ambulance.
“We were in the halls of Harrisburg that day, and it was absolutely wild to me,” McAndrew said. “I got a phone call literally walking right next to his family, and I was informed that we were getting funding for a new ambulance in Penn Hills. I really and truly believe that it was a sign that this was meant to be in memoriam to Nick.”
He said the funding also is a “thank you” for the work Penn Hills EMS members do every day.
The new ambulance will be numbered 386 — replacing Unit 386, which Theofilis was driving when it was destroyed in the crash. While the new unit will have traditional ambulance lettering and Penn Hills decals, there also will be special graphics and wording added to the vehicle to memorialize Theofilis.
“It’s been an emotional day,” Lori Theofilis said.
She said the Theofilis family is working on creating a scholarship in Theofilis’ name with the Penn Hills Masons, of which her son was a member.
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“We don’t have definite plans yet, but we’re in the process of setting up a scholarship for EMS,” Lori Theofilis said.
The family is planning to host an annual fundraising night at Carnivores in Oakmont, Theofilis’ favorite bar.
“He was like family to them,” she said. “They sponsored a night after he passed. We asked if they would do it again, and they’re going to make it a yearly thing. Then all (proceeds) will go toward the scholarship.”