Harold Luther Heglar was born in Mooresville, North Carolina, on November 6, 1947, and moved with his family to Kure Beach in 1948.

For 45 years, he proudly served the town of Kure Beach on the fire department, acting as fire chief for 42 of those years. He remained in town for every hurricane the town has experienced since his initial move, including major Hurricanes Hazel, Diana, Fran, Floyd, Florence, and Dorian. As the fire chief, Harold was intimately involved in all aspects of preparation and recovery for these storms. He transitioned the volunteer fire department to its current combination department during his tenure as chief.

His leadership resulted in the department ISO rating of 5, putting the Kure Beach Fire Department in the top 28% in North Carolina during his tenure. Harold remained a working chief until retirement. After formally retiring as the fire chief in December 2017, he continued serving as a volunteer firefighter until shortly before his passing on January 20, 2020. In May of 2020, the department was awarded an ISO rating of 2, putting the Kure Beach Fire Department in the top 2% of fire departments in the country, a testament to his leadership, training, and the legacy he passed on to the entire department.

In addition to his fire department service, Harold was a master electrician, an avid fisherman/hunter, and an excellent tennis player. Harold was a man of service. This was highlighted through his impact, not only upon the various departments of the town of Kure Beach, but also upon the members of the community he personally helped during his life. Harold’s impact as a mentor was most acutely felt by the many men and women in the fire and lifeguard services of Kure Beach and New Hanover County. His generosity was felt by many members of the community. Whether it was an electrical issue he resolved, a broken part he helped to fix, or a word of advice he offered, he was available to help those who meant the most to him. Everyone knew, if you needed something fixed and he couldn’t do it, he knew someone who could. They also knew that if they needed an honest opinion, he was the man for the job.

Harold passed away in his home, surrounded by family and friends, holding his beloved wife, Diane, on January 20, 2020. Harold leaves behind his loving wife, Diane; his brother, Jerry (Cathy), KBFD(retired); his sons, KBFD Lt. David (Lisa) and Michael; his late stepdaughter, Amy (Aaron) King; stepson, Timothy Holden; and eight grandchildren, Elise, Erin, Matt, Micah, Weazy, Nay Nay, Eli, and Issac.