Retired Pleasant Garden Fire Chief Donald Whitaker, owner of Donald’s Fire Haven Museum, passed away Sunday after a long battle with cancer.
Whitaker is best known for his passion of the fire service and his 50-year collection of fire service memorabilia.
“Anything that had fire, that looked like fire he wanted it,” Ethel told WFMY News 2. “When we went to antique places, we’d look for fire stuff. Our main thing was fire things.”
In 2003, Whitaker and his wife Ethel opened Donald’s Fire Haven Museum. The museum is adjacent to their home and filled with thousands of items he’s collected over the last 50 years.
The Whitaker's donated the museum to the Pleasant Garden Fire Department in 2021. The department is working to build a new facility to display the collection.
“We’re going to keep everything the same as he’s got it now just to keep his legacy moving forward,” Pleasant Garden Fire Chief Chad Garrett told the television station.
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