SALEM, Va. (WFXR) — Fire departments in the Roanoke Valley are mourning the loss of Senior Firefighter Michael Glass.
Glass answered to many names: father, son, husband, teammate, friend, and to his crew at the Salem Fire Department, “Pappy.”
Many local stations were impacted by Glass’ passing on June 4. Glass served as a firefighter for 41 years, retiring in 2019.
Glass started his journey volunteering at Fort Lewis Fire Department in 1978 and started his career as a firefighter with Salem in 1987.
“Mike was a dedicated volunteer at Station 9 who could be seen running numerous calls, making coffee at the station, doing public education events, stopping by to visit with career staff, and doing maintenance tasks around the station,” said Roanoke Fire & Rescue Department in a post on Facebook.
Glass was known for his semi-annual ‘Chicken BBQ fundraisers’ that brought the community closer together.
The station was home to Glass. Even though he retired, he didn’t go too far. Crews at Station 1 in Salem were honored when Glass visited them only a week and a half before his passing.
The funeral, honoring Mike’s life, will be held on Friday, June 9 at 1 p.m. at Living Well Church of the Nazarene.
In lieu of flowers, the Glass family is asking those to consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Association by clicking here and noting that the donation is in memory of Michael Glass.
(Photos courtesy of Fort Lewis Fire Department)
