Jarod Fredrick Kammeyer was born in Defiance, Ohio, to the late James and Judy Kammeyer on January 24, 1975. He always felt loved and was raised by his Aunt Diana and Uncle Robert Doster and his grandparents, the late Paul and Erma Feeney.

Jarod passed away on Valentine’s Day after a courageous and extensive 880-day battle from COVID-19 complications he contracted on a fire call. He was known as “The Miracle Man” throughout his complicated battle.

He joined the Noble Township Volunteer Fire Department on September 8, 1993, at age 18, right after graduating from Tinora High School, Class of 1993.

He was a dedicated part of the department for 30 years. He worked his way up through the ranks to assistant chief of Noble Township Volunteer Fire Department in Defiance, Ohio. He was also certified with Hazardous Materials Operations and was a member of Defiance County Hazardous Materials Response Team.

On September 23, 2000, he married Cristina, who survives.

Jarod was a faithful member of St. John Lutheran Church in Defiance. In his early career he worked as an assistant director at Spartan Retail in Napoleon, Ohio. In 2004, he was the store manager at Dollar Tree in Defiance. In 2015, he was promoted to district manager of Dollar Tree Stores, Inc., overseeing stores in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.

His true calling in life was firefighting and prevention. Jarod was a dedicated public servant, loved his community, and wore his heart on his sleeve. He always put others first. He loved to teach elementary students about fire safety.

He enjoyed being with his family, working outdoors, and doing construction projects around the house.
For over 20 years, Jarod dressed up as Santa and delivered packages and meals to those less fortunate and visited the local elementary schools.

Jarod was a Notre Dame fan, and his father-in-law, the late Otto Nicely, was an Ohio State fan. Certainly, there was an exchange of good old trash talk since both their teams made it to the playoffs. Otto was also a charter member of Noble Township Volunteer Fire Department who passed 14 days before Jarod.

Jarod departed this earth on a high note. He sacrificed his life doing something he loved, serving his community and helping his fellow man in their time of need. His family and friends were very important to him. His hope was that his battle would be the strength for others. Jarod rests now in perfect hands.