‘Peyton’s Path’ dedicated, honors fallen firefighter

LOUDONVILLE, New York (WWNY) - ‘Peyton’s Path’ was dedicated Wednesday.

The path is on the campus of Siena College near Albany, where Peyton Morse attended school and where he was posthumously awarded his degree.

Morse is the LaFargeville native, and Watertown firefighter trainee, who lost his life after suffering a medical emergency while at the state Fire Academy in 2021. His parents believe Peyton’s death could - and should - have been avoided.

Peyton’s home parish, St. John’s church in LaFargeville, closed in June of 2021. In memory and honor of Peyton they gifted their Stations of the Cross to Siena College, which allowed the creation of “Peyton’s Path.”

Peyton’s Path winds through the woods alongside Siena College’s outdoor ROTC challenge course. College Chaplain Fr. Larry Anderson said he picked the location due to its serenity and connectedness to nature, noting that the stations are a long-standing Franciscan tradition and an important addition to the campus.

Wood and glass cases with LED lighting were designed and built by Siena carpenters to house the 14 stations that commemorate Jesus Christ’s last day on earth as a man. A stone bench at each station provides a quiet place to pause and reflect.

“Peyton was a man of faith, he was no stranger to the chapel or the Grotto,” Fr. Larry noted. “Just as Siena’s chapel and Grotto are places of prayer and reflection for the Siena College community and the Capital Region at large, so too will be Peyton’s Path and the Stations of the Cross.