HEATHER CASEY
Firehouse.Com News
A Texas firefighter died Wednesday following a hospital stay and operation.
Capt. Jim Clingenpeel, 38, served the Rosehill Volunteer Fire
Department for eight years. He was stricken with chest pains while on duty
June 10.
He was pulling hose and performing pump operations during routine
training when the pains began.
"People noticed that he was not altogether there," said Assistant
Chief Sylvia Gomez. "He had a lot of experience but he was making
little mistakes."
Clingenpeel was admitted to the hospital the next day and underwent
quadruple bypass surgery June 14. He died at Tomball Regional
Hospital at 2:30 a.m. June 20. Gomez said they do not not know the
cause of death, but autopsy results are pending.
The captain is survived by his wife Lori, who he married right after
high school, and their sons James Lee, 16, and Johnathan Thomas, 12.
He served as treasurer on the department's board of directors and as
a co-leader for the department's explorers program.
"He was one of our most dedicated members," Gomez said. "You could
literally always count on him to be there."
Clingenpeel, who worked as a mechanic's helper, was also quite a
character, Gomez said.
"He wouldn't let you leave until he told a funny joke or story," she said.
"He was kind of everybody's best friend."
Clingenpeel's funeral service is scheduled for Saturday, June 23 at
the Southwinds Baptist Church in Tomball.
The Rosehill Volunteer Fire Department serves 5,000 people living in
a primarily rural area of 90 square miles. It is located 40 miles
from downtown Houston, and consists of 15 volunteers in 3 stations.
A memorial fund has been established at the First Bank of Texas, P.O.
Box 520, Tomball, Texas 77377-0520. Donations can be made to the
Rosehill Volunteer Fire Department Memorial Fund for Jim Clingenpeel,
Account No. 3000707513.
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