Berks County, PA, Fire Chiefs Receive Final Salute
Reading Eagle, Pa.
(TNS)
Interrupting a silent moment Saturday morning inside the auditorium at Fleetwood High School, the sound of a bell rang out.
It tolled three times. And then three more. And then three more.
The ringing was followed by the sound of an emergency dispatcher speaking over a radio. She called out for Walnuttown Fire Chief Jeffory Buck and Assistant Chief Robert Shick Jr.
There was no reply.
The dispatch, made during a public funeral service for the two men, marked Buck’s and Shick’s final call to duty.
The two were killed a week before when a car collided head-on with a fire company utility task vehicle on Route 222 in Richmond Township, which they were in during a search for a missing 60-year-old woman.
Buck and Shick died serving their community, and on Saturday that community gathered to pay them their final respects. And it did so in a manner fitting two men who gave so much of themselves to help others.
Outside the high school auditorium were parked two ladder trucks, with a large American flag suspended between them creating an arch over the entrance. Fire trucks and emergency service vehicles from departments all over the region lined each aisle of the parking lot leading to the arch.
Inside, the men’s caskets were draped with American flags. Between the caskets, their uniforms were displayed.
A screen above displayed their pictures, names and the Walnuttown Fire Company seal.
Shick had been a volunteer with the fire company for the past four decades. The 56-year-old was most recently employed as a truck driver for Viwinco Windows and Doors in Morgantown, following nearly 30 years working at East Penn Manufacturing Company.
He was a motorsports fan and enjoyed the great outdoors.
Buck had also been a dedicated member of the fire company for more than four decades. The 60-year-old worked at East Penn Manufacturing for 35 years.
He was proud to be a regular donor for the Miller-Keystone Blood Center for the past 20 years, donating every two weeks. He enjoyed hunting, camping, fishing and wood chopping.
Memories shared
During an hourlong ceremony, those who knew Buck and Shick shared a little bit more about the men.
“My dad was an amazing person,” Brett Shick said of his father. “He was probably one of the most unselfish people I have ever known.
“He would always put someone else before himself, he put his family before himself and he put the community before himself,” he added. “And he was that way until the very last second.”
Brett Shick said he holds a lot of special memories of his dad in his heart, including his time as a coach for the Fleetwood Youth Soccer Club.
“He was always there to pick people up,” he said. “He always said, ‘It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog that counts.’ He used to say that a lot when we found ourselves down in the game.”
Brett Shick said that he also has a lot of good memories of Buck, as the families were neighbors for most of his life. He described Buck as like a second father to him.
One of Buck’s sons, Robert, said his dad shared a lot of positive, selfless traits with Shick.
“My dad would give the shirt off his back to a complete stranger simply because it would help them out,” he said. “There would be no second thought, no ulterior motive, just trying to help. That’s what he loved to do.
“I find just a little bit of solace that he went out doing just that and I find even more solace knowing he was able to do that with Rob, as unfortunate as it was.”
Robert Buck said that over the past week he has had an opportunity to speak with hundreds of people about his father and has heard time and time again that Jeff Buck had touched each of their hearts in some way.
“They spoke of his infectious laughter, his troublesome grin, his happy-go-lucky attitude, how caring he was and his ability to make people feel welcomed,” he said.
Robert Buck said that the loss of his father and Shick has left a void that will never be filled. But their legacy will live on.
“While their footsteps may no longer echo in the halls of Walnuttown Fire Company, their knowledge, memories and love will be with us forever,” he said.
Shick’s daughter, Brittany, used her time to speak to help lighten the mood. As a member of the Walnuttown Fire Company, she said she had heard and seen a lot during her time around the two men.
“I would have written a speech, but if I wrote it down in memory of Jeff half the words would have been spelled wrong and I wouldn’t have known what it said,” she said, eliciting laughs from around the room. “And if I would have written it in honor of my dad, with the amount of swear words in it I wouldn’t be allowed to say it.”
Brittany Shick said that her dad and Buck were some of the best mentors she could have ever asked for.
“They have left a void that will never be filled,” she said. “But I know, deep down inside, that we are going to make them proud.”
A difficult week
Walnuttown Fire Company Lt. Ryan Tyson told the crowd that it has been a long, difficult week for the small fire department that suddenly and tragically lost its leaders.
“They were the two greatest leaders that I had in the fire service,” he said. “The thing I took away from them was that they were true leaders. There are many different ways to express what a leader looks like, and these two would never put you down or disrespect you.
“At the end of the day, they were leaders, they were mentors, husbands, fathers and brothers.”
Prior to the funeral, Tyson took time to speak to the media gathered outside.
He said the support the men’s families and the fire company has been receiving has been overwhelming, in a good way.
“I personally have family members that live in Missouri who heard about it on the news, so it just goes to show how big of a story this is,” he said. “And, unfortunately, it’s our department that is going through it. No department should have to go through losing two chiefs. But the community comes together and everyone sticks together.”
Tyson said the loss of Buck and Shick has made him realize that sometimes he takes the people around him, and what they mean to him, for granted.
“You are around people so often that sometimes you don’t realize the effect they have on your life, and I have definitely experienced those feelings this week,” he said. “I’ve been in the department for roughly 14 years, and those guys were there with me so I got used to seeing them. So I think it’s important to take a few minutes to ask someone how their day is going, because you never know when you might not be able to have that conversation.”
Tyson said he is still trying to deal with the reality that he won’t ever again see two of his fellow firefighters, two of his closest friends.
“I don’t think it has really set in for me yet about what it’s going to feel like walking into the firehouse knowing that they are gone,” he said. “We understand what happened, but after things calm down a little bit I think it will set in.
“In the meantime, we are keeping our heads up and moving forward like our chiefs would want us to do.”
Tyson said he hopes the memory of Buck and Shick inspires kindness in people.
“People can honor their legacy by just being a good person,” he said. “If you see someone struggling at the grocery store or walking on the sidewalk, take a couple of minutes to see if you can help them.
“They dedicated their lives to helping other people, but you don’t have to be a first responder to help someone,” he added. “It only takes a few minutes to ask someone how their day is going and it could make a big difference.”
Photos from Friday night’s viewing for fallen Walnuttown firefighters.
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