A long-time member of the Lunenburg and District Fire Department has passed away.
Robert Parks was an active firefighter from 1957 to 1997 including several years as chief and a town councillor for 11 years.
He died Monday at age 82.
Current Fire Chief Darren Romkey says Parks was one of his first bosses at IGA and encouraged him to get involved in the fire service.
Romkey says Parks was well-respected around town and provided advice to him before he became chief.
“He said to me ‘You’re going to make decisions that won’t always be popular and that’s just part of being a leader.’ Anybody that tries to make all the good decisions or the popular decisions usually fall behind quicker than they gain, so I kind of took that to heart.”
Romkey says Parks was polite, always had a smile on his face, and loved talking with people.
He says Parks was a great leader.
“He allowed me to make some calls on the fire grounds and he basically told me that’s the only way I was going to learn is without him looking over my shoulder. That’s what I try to put in my officers today.”
The Lunenburg Fire Department and Town of Lunenburg have lowered their flags to half-mast.
Funeral details can be found here.
