Oct. 28--Last Thanksgiving, Charolette "Charlie" Adair was in the middle of cooking her family's dinner when she got an emergency call that someone was in trouble.
Mrs. Adair, a Richfield Township volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician, went to assist, just like she always did, even though it meant missing the holiday with her husband and two daughters.
"She was the kind of person if you needed something done, you got a hold of Charlie," said her husband, Craig Adair. "She was never afraid. She never told you, 'no.' "
Friday, Mrs. Adair, 45, of Swanton, was killed trying to help others.
She was struck by a vehicle while directing traffic at a crash at the intersection of U.S. 20 and Fulton-Lucas Road in Lucas County's Richfield Township, according to the Lucas County Sheriff's Office.
Mrs. Adair was on her way to work and was off duty when she stopped to assist. She was struck at about 7:28 a.m. by an eastbound Ford Escape driven by Richard Bigras, 58, of Fayette, Ohio, sheriff deputies said.
At the time, she was wearing her reflective safety vest, officials said.
She was flown to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center where she was later pronounced dead, according to the sheriff's office.
The incident remained under investigation and the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office had not decided as of Friday whether to file charges against Mr. Bigras.
"Unfortunately, she died doing what she loved," said township Fire Chief Ronald Tate. "As you can imagine, everyone is in shock. We're a close fire department here."
The fire department is holding a debriefing to help firefighters deal with Mrs. Adair's death and will also bring in counselors. It was the first time a firefighter has been killed in recent memory, said Chief Tate, a 23-year veteran with the department.
Besides volunteering on the fire department for the past six years, Mrs. Adair was also a sixth-grade teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Swanton.
Her husband remembered times when she would go on an emergency run late at night and return home at 3 or 4 a.m., then wake up and get ready for school a short time later.
"She made every run she could. She was one of our most active members," said assistant chief of EMS Denise Farley. "Whether it was in the middle of the night or during the day."
But even after seeing injuries, car crashes, and all the other horrors of the job, Mrs. Adair was known for her sense of humor and being a jokester.
"The stuff that you see, you have to have some sense of humor to deal with," said Mr. Adair, who does home repairs and remodeling, and been married for almost 22 years. "Otherwise it'd drive you nuts."
She also loved scrapbooking and spending time with her family, including her daughters Cayla, 18, a freshman at Eastern Michigan University, and Hailey, 15, a high school sophomore at Notre Dame Academy.
"There's no two of her out there," Mr. Adair said. "She was one of a kind."
-- Mike Sigov contributed to this report.
Contact Gabrielle Russon at: [email protected] or 419-724-6026.
