QUILCENE — Remembered as an inspiring, gentle leader and a pillar of the Quilcene community, Fire Chief Bob Wilson died early Friday after a battle with cancer.
He was 58.
Chief Wilson led Quilcene Fire District No. 2 since 1992 and also had served as Gardiner-Discovery Bay Fire District No. 5 chief since 2007.
“Not only was he our fire chief, but a great friend,” said Robert “Moe” Moser, now Quilcene fire chief.
“I doubt very much there will be anybody that will fill his boots. I will truly miss him.”
Moser, who served with Chief Wilson in Quilcene for the past 18 years, described his close friend as a “great leader.”
“He was very, very committed to the community within which he lived,” Moser fondly recalled.
Memorial service
A memorial service with a formal firefighter ceremony in honor for Chief Wilson is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday at Quilcene Schools Gymnasium, with the Rev. Dan Ward, pastor of the Quilcene Assembly of God officiating.
Port Ludlow Fire Chief Ed Wilkerson is organizing the ceremony.
A graveside service is to be scheduled for a later date.
On Monday, the three Jefferson County commissioners plan to read a proclamation honoring Chief Wilson for his dedication and years of service to Quilcene and Jefferson County.
Chief Wilson was born Oct. 3, 1950, to Ray Wilson and Wilma Tate, in San Bernardino, Calif.
He met his wife, Veda, in Quilcene in 1978, and they married there on May 3, 1980.
He is survived by his wife, sons Joseph, 29, of Quilcene and Jacob, 23, of Port Orchard; and daughter, Dana, 18, a Quilcene High School senior.
He is also survived by his mother, now living in Quilcene, and brother Ivan Wilson of Federal Way.
“He leaves behind many wonderful family members and friends,” Veda Wilson said Friday.
Close family friend Jenny Frank called Chief Wilson “a very Godly man, devoted to his family and his community, and there will never be another one like him.”
Dana Ward, wife of the Rev. Dan Ward and a close friend of Veda Wilson in Quilcene since the age of 13, was with Chief Wilson at the time of his death Friday.
‘Thoughtful, generous’
“He was a thoughtful, generous man,” Ward said. “He gave of his time and he gave financially, often anonymously. That’s just the kind of guy he was.
“He gave 100 percent to the best of his ability. He always looked at life as a lesson to better himself, and that’s really rare.”
During his six-month battle with esophageal and brain cancer, Ward said Chief Wilson felt humbled by the generosity of others in the community.
“So many reached out to his family, and it was hard for him because he was always on the giving end,” she said.
After Chief Wilson’s supervisory duties over Discovery Bay and Gardiner were expanded in 2007, he oversaw 21 firefighting and paramedic volunteers for Discovery Bay and Gardiner 39 volunteers in Quilcene.
During a 2007 training session shortly after he joined Discovery Bay-Gardiner, Chief Wilson told volunteers: “If you allow me to lead, I will lead you.”
Out of a large pool of potential volunteers, only a small amount of people show initial interest, said Chief Wilson at the time, who was always on the lookout for young, new volunteers to replace those “getting up in the years.”
Trained volunteers
At any fire scene, Chief Wilson was observed approaching his young volunteer firefighters, showing them where to spray hoses and compassionately resting his hand on their backs in a gesture of support as they battled blazes.
Bob Rosen, Quilcene Community Center manager, who befriended Chief Wilson while working on the community center and other Quilcene projects, said he learned more about Chief Wilson’s life while driving him to Sequim for chemotherapy.
“He’s had a varied life,” said Rosen, which included surfing at Laguna Beach in Southern California as a youth.
“He’s so beloved in this community, and there’s going to be a huge void in this community with his passage,” Rosen said.
“He was Dudley Do Right as far as I’m concerned. He was a strong person who could inspire people.”
Rosen said Chief Wilson was always supportive of his ideas, including one to remodel the community center.
“When I came up with this dumb idea, he immediately backed it and the community just went along with it,” Rosen recalled.
A name in his honor
Rosen said there has been discussion about naming either the fire department or the community center in Chief Wilson’s honor but that was still to be decided.
Quilcene Schools Principal Jim Betteley said Friday that the community was “hit hard” by the news or Chief Wilson’s death.
Betteley credits Wilson with inspiring his son, Tom, to join Quilcene Fire Department and attend fire training academy.
“He even twisted my arm, and he made me join the volunteer fire department,” Betteley added.
Chief Wilson was a “prime example of what a person can become” when he is focused and on track, Betteley said.
“There are three things that this community holds most important: their church, their school and the fire department, and he was the head of the fire department,” Betteley said.
“Whenever there was a major decision with the school, he was always asked to be there because he’s a pillar of the community.”
County Commissioner John Austin said the commissioners would read the proclamation Monday and share a moment of silence in Chief Wilson’s memory.
Chief Wilson contributed to the formation of JeffCom, the 9-1-1 dispatch center for Jefferson County fire districts, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and the Port Townsend Police Department.
Chief Wilson was JeffCom Technical Committee chairman and served as the fire chiefs representative on the board.
“He was always so positive at the meetings he attended, and we relied on him very heavily for things like the technical committee in JeffCom [emergency dispatch],” Austin said.
“He was the guy we looked to for the very practical suggestions to make a larger [communications] system work effectively.
Austin said Chief Wilson took the initiative to start a fire training center in Quilcene.
“He brought the community together,” Austin said. “I was just so honored to work with him.”
Began as volunteer
Chief Wilson began his nearly 20 years with Quilcene Fire District 2 in 1985 as a volunteer. In 1992, he was appointed chief in a part-time capacity. Chief Wilson also worked as a heavy equipment operator to augment his part-time position as fire chief.
The Quilcene fire board commissioners made Wilson the district’s first full time chief in 1999 — a position he held for 19 years. Fire District No. 2 in Quilcene was an all-volunteer organization until 1999.
He was president of the Jefferson County Fire Chiefs Association, and prior chairman of the Northwest Regional Emergency Medical Service Council.
He was the current chairman of the board for the Quilcene Assembly of God church and also a church elder.
Chief Wilson was instrumental in securing much needed radio equipment for the county’s four districts, Moser said.
Moser said he will be remembered as an outstanding fire chief and leader — a man who was quick to give up personal time for the good of the community and the fire service.
“He never let the citizens of Jefferson Fire District 2 take second place to anything,” he said.
“He strongly believed that the fire department and the volunteers should have the best equipment to work with and he fought hard to get it.
“Through his leadership, both District 2 and District 5 became examples of dedicated fire departments.”
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Quilcene Fire Department, 70 Herbert St., Quilcene, WA 98376, or Quilcene Assembly of God Church, 160 Washington St., Quilcene, WA 98376.
Linde Family Funeral Service of Sequim is handling arrangements.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com
