Ronald J. Osadacz Sr. passed away on January 11, 2000, after returning home from doing one of the things he loved most, helping others. He was a volunteer firefighter at the Morganville Volunteer Fire Company and was Assistant Chief at the time of his passing. He responded to the call early that morning just like he did every single other time that alarm would sound, and that was without thinking of what time it was, or what he might have had planned the next day or even what he was doing at that moment, but only about helping people in his town that he didn’t even know but knew needed help. All it took was someone in need and he would be up and out of the house, waking up in the middle of the night or leaving his food on the table in the middle of dinner. He was injured in the line of duty at that early morning call. He returned home and passed away after suffering from a fatal heart attack. He was the first and only volunteer firefighter to die in the line of duty in our town.

To the world, Ron was a kind, funny, handsome, selfless man. To his family, he was all of those things, but he was also an amazing husband and father. He was the man that took his little girl on daddy daughter dates, and his son to the firehouse with him, and did push-ups with his daughter and son on his back, and who let his daughter paint his finger nails all different colors and then went on a fire call and got laughed at but didn’t care in the least. He never failed to make us laugh or put a smile on our faces. He was and always will be our hero.

Our children were only 4 years old and 8 years old when he passed, but he has never been too far away. I see him everyday in our children. Our son followed in his footsteps as a volunteer firefighter and our daughter looks at life just like her dad did and is always there to help others. He’s in the wonderful memories we have of him and the stories that I still tell them of our time together before they were born. From the very first time I saw him when I was in 6th grade, I just knew he was the one. That’s the kind of man he was. He was somebody that you wanted to know and if you had the chance to meet him in his 36 years you were lucky. He never missed an opportunity to help others or to be there for his family. When I received the news that our son is expecting a baby, I was sad for what I knew he would be missing, as we would have been amazing grandparents together, but I know in my heart that he has already met our grandchild. I can only try my hardest to love that child enough for the both of us.

He made the world a better place and it’s been darker since he left it but Ronald J. Osadacz Sr. will never be forgotten because heroes live on forever and a man like him is impossible to forget. Until we meet again… we love you.