By FireRescue1 Staff
MEXICO, Maine — Firefighters and police officers across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine gathered to escort the ashes of a longtime fire chief back to his hometown.
Mexico Fire Chief Gary Wentzell’s ashes were brought back from Boston Thursday, reported WCSH. First responders saluted the vehicle as it passed through their towns.
Chief Wentzell was diagnosed with lung cancer October 2016; he served as chief for 25 years.
“He means a lot to me,” Ray Broomhall, a retired deputy chief of the department, said. “He kept everybody going. He’s going to be really missed.”
According to Chief Wentzell’s daughter, Paula, he often went snowmobiling with firefighters and was always cracking jokes.
“He knew how to be serious when he needed to be chief, but he could also lighten the mood for them … He wasn’t just their fire chief,” Chief Wentzell’s other daughter, Heather, said. “I knew he was loved by his community, but I just didn’t realize how much.”
Firefighters are gathering Saturday to shave their heads in honor of the chief; his funeral will be held Sunday.