A grandfather, a firefighter, and a husband can only be the beginning of the life of my grandfather. Growing up in West York brought a wife, a passion for firefighting, and a place to settle. Roy fell in love with his wife in high school and has been married for 44 fulfilling years.
When asked, my grandpa mentioned that the most important thing to him in his life was his family. When I asked my grandpa to go more in-depth about his family, he mentioned that he strives to be like his grandmother. Roy says, “When I think of my grandmother, I smile, and that’s what I want people to do when they think of me after I’m gone.” My grandpa talked a lot about how his grandmother helped him get through tough times in high school and make big life decisions. On a topic of important people in Roy’s life, I asked him who he looks up to the most. His answer was his preacher. Roy says, “I have the utmost respect for anyone who helps people in a moment of need — like preachers.” Roy looks up to his preachers, and continues to thank them for helping him grow his faith. Roy also mentioned his grandmother again. He said if I were to ask him this question earlier on in his life, the first person he would’ve thought of would’ve been his grandmother.
When Roy was just 14 years old, his best friend Todd inspired him to become a firefighter. Roy says Todd was his biggest influence, and he would not be where he is today if it were not for his best friend. Roy’s passion for fire fighting has grown over the 46 years he’s been a firefighter. He and Todd began volunteering at the West Manchester volunteer station, and just continued putting their time into the station until my grandpa eventually got promoted to the chief of the department. As me and my grandpa were talking, he told me about the craziest fire he’s ever encountered. This fire was at his own high school and started by his own peers. He says that a group of boys broke into the school and were messing around in the science classroom. Luckily, my grandfather was fighting the fire instead of starting it.
As Roy’s granddaughter, I am extremely grateful and blessed to have a grandfather that I can share with my future kids and family. And I can guarantee that when my grandfather passes on people beyond my family will smile when he is thought of.
