By Jason Anderson
The Record
RIPON, Calif. — Ripon is mourning the line-of-duty death of a veteran firefighter who was well known and respected throughout the community for his work with the Fire Department and the city’s youth.
Dave Luis, 58, who died Nov. 24 following a three-year battle with cancer, served the Ripon Consolidated Fire District for 26 years as a firefighter, captain and chief officer. Ripon Fire Chief Dennis Bitters said his department is struggling with the death of Luis, who was a husband, a father, a friend and a mentor to many in the Ripon community.
“It’s difficult even when you have time to prepare for the loss of a loved one and someone you worked with for 26 years,” Bitters said. “He was quite a guy.”
Luis’ passing is considered a line-of-duty death due to the presumption that his illness was contracted on the job, Bitters said. Firetrucks and engines from Ripon and other agencies throughout San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties will participate in the funeral procession Friday to honor the fallen firefighter.
“In the fire service, we’re exposed to environments that are immediately dangerous to life and health,” Bitters said. “It’s because of the byproducts of the fire, the plastics and different things that burn. Even though we wear respirators, there are always exposures that occur.”
Luis and Bitters grew up together in Ripon. Luis attended Ripon High School and Modesto Junior College before beginning his career with the Fire Department.
Luis made time to volunteer in the community in a variety of ways. He coached football for 23 years at the youth and high school levels. He also supported 4-H and Future Farmers of America for more than 20 years.
“He was a pretty dynamic individual in our community,” Bitters said. “He has a lot of connections that interweave with each other. He was always there to help. If it involved youth and students, he was always offering to help in any way he could. You would always see him at every fundraising event, cooking or setting up tables or whatever he could do to help.”
Brenda Lange, a billing specialist at the Ripon Consolidated Fire District, cried Wednesday when she was asked about Luis.
“He was so supportive of this community,” she said. “He would just do anything for anybody. If anybody needed help, he was right there.”
Luis is survived by his wife, Clarice, and their three children, Josh, Kayleigh and Courtney. He also leaves behind his father, Manuel, his sister, Diane, his brother, Dan, and several nieces and nephews. Luis was preceded in death by his mother, Joyce, whom he loved dearly and who spent 37 years as a secretary with the Ripon Consolidated Fire District.
Nearly 1,000 people are expected to attend Friday’s funeral services, which will be held at 9 a.m. at P.L. Fry and Son Funeral Home at 290 N. Union Road in Manteca. Following the service, Luis and his family will be transported in Ripon Consolidated Fire District apparatus in a procession through Ripon to the Ripon Community Center for a celebration of life.
To honor Luis’ service, there will be a static display of fire apparatus, ambulances and law enforcement vehicles along Main Street from Jack Tone Road to Wilma Avenue and in front of Ripon Fire Station 2-1 on South Stockton Avenue, where the procession will stop briefly en route to the community center.
Members of the community who wish to pay their respects to Luis and his family are encouraged to observe anywhere along the route.
The final ringing of the firefighter bell will take place at the community center. The bell ceremony honors lost firefighters. The Ripon Consolidated Fire District bell was dedicated in memory of Luis’ mother and bears her name.
“Dave was not only a fine man and a good leader, but he cared about a lot of people,” Bitters said. “He cared about the people who worked for him. He cared about the community. He treated people in this community like they were his family.
“He was very caring and he had that attention to detail that was hard to find sometimes. He would follow everything through to the end. That’s why so many people admire him, because they knew he would always be there to make sure everything was done right.”
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