John Blume would be the first to tell you that he had a hard time sitting still. As a child, you’d often find him outside, playing baseball or fishing with his brothers and neighborhood friends. That same inability to sit still, coupled with his natural curiosity, led to a wide range of knowledge over many diverse subjects. Though his first dream of becoming a professional baseball player didn’t pan out, he ended up right where he was meant to be, developing and honing his passion as a firefighter with the Dallas Fire Department. He served over 34 years, nine of them as a paramedic, driving and caring for citizens in an ambulance, where he delivered no fewer than ten babies. Some of his fondest and most memorable moments with the fire department were the times where his training in CPR and other EMT medical skills resulted in saving several lives. Moving up the ranks, he ended his career as a lieutenant.

John had many interests outside the station: teacher, baseball coach, investor, woodworker, historian, Master Gardener, hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman, handyman, dog whisperer, chef, world traveler, PTA president, and Band Booster president. During the downtime at the fire station, he’d take some of these hobbies with him to indulge in his real passion for teaching and mentoring. He’d bring his homegrown vegetables to the station to teach others how to can, his tools to do group projects and fix things around the station, bringing in fish he’d caught to cook and share with his station family. When he wasn’t “lecturing” the rookies about finance and saving for the future, he’d playfully get on their nerves by playing “Stump the Lieutenant.”

John’s death left his wife, Michelle (Micki), and his three sons, Jesse, Travis, and Alex, with lots of wonderful memories and broken hearts. While they all miss him every day, they are deeply grateful for the legacy of love that he left behind. His mother, Lois, also survives him, along with his brothers, Robert, Chris, and Matt, and sisters, Katy (Hurst), Karen (Thieme), and Jennifer.

No matter how you measure it, John Blume touched the lives of countless people, and the world is a better place for having had him in it.