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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

Roll of Honor

Firefighter
Age: 38
Year of Death: 2007

Jon C. Trainer

Submitted by his Family

Jon Trainer‚ a young man who found family wherever he traveled‚ who loved deeply and gave unselfishly‚ died on Tuesday‚ July 24‚ 2007‚ while on duty with the Mechanicsburg Volunteer Fire Department.

Jon was born on December 10‚ 1968‚ to Jim and Judi Trainer of Mechanicsburg‚ Ohio. He grew up with his twin brother‚ Jay‚ and younger brother‚ Jeff. As his younger brother‚ I would like to tell you what made my brother‚ Jon‚ special.

Jon loved his ‘families.’ He loved strongly. He didn’t care about appearance or material things. He pretty much gave everything he had to his family. He would leave work at Honda of America and drive though the night to visit his nieces and nephew. He would work along side our father on whatever job dad decided needed to be done that day. He was a son that made his mother proud. He was a good big brother and a twin. Jon and his twin brother‚ Jay‚ had a bond that was unbreakable in life and undeniable after his death. He was a great cousin‚ nephew‚ and grandson.

When Jon talked of family‚ he didn’t just mean us‚ his blood relatives. Jon had a way of creating family wherever he went. He had his 4-H family of all the campers and counselors from throughout the years. He had his school family‚ the Mechanicsburg Class of 1987. Attending a small‚ rural school with the same people for thirteen years allows you to grow close. After high school‚ Jon left Mechanicsburg and went to OSU where he became involved in catering. Through this endeavor‚ Jon found his catering family. Whether it was the Cleveland Grand Prix or the US Open‚ you would find Jon working long‚ stressful hours to pull off the impossible and make it look easy. Hard work was a theme in my brother’s life that was a constant. After moving back to Mechanicsburg‚ Jon found his Honda (Adecco) family‚ as well. Although we do not know this family very well‚ it is easy to recognize how many lives Jon touched from the responses of the many people who have reached out and spoken of his kindness and understanding. Yes‚ my brother Jon loved family‚ but the family we have come here today to celebrate is Jon’s newest family‚ the Mechanicsburg Volunteer Fire Department. It is a brotherhood that no one in my family truly understood until Jon’s death. Jon loved this family dearly. He loved the work. Jon wanted to learn as much as he could about fire fighting. He analyzed being a Fireman for Mechanicsburg and he worked every day to do his job better. He did not just do his job‚ he put hours of thought into it. He worked hard to improve the productivity and efficiency of the department. Fire fighting was not just something Jon did after work or on the side. It was what he loved and what he did best. Jon had found that thing we all look for our whole lives. He had found a job where he could combine his generosity‚ courage‚ faith‚ compassion‚ creativity‚ work ethic and sense of community. He found a way to put all of these things together in a perfect way. Jon became a Fireman. Jon loved being a Fireman.

Submitted by his Brother

Jon had served with Mechanicsburg Fire Department since December 2005.

He was a very dedicated Firefighter and family member. He survived by his mom Judi‚ his dad Jim‚ His twin brother Jay‚ and his younger brother Jeff. He also survived by his 3 nieces and his 3 nephews.

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