Tribute to Past Members
Below you will find tributes to former members of the Pensaukee Fire Department. We are grateful for their service.
Assistant Chief Bruce Snyder
Bruce Snyder was on the department for 25 plus years and served as Assistant Chief for 10 years. Bruce was best described as a soft spoken person that was easy to get along with. He was good natured enough to volunteer to be the victim for ladder training when everyone took State Firefighter I and II at our station with around 20 firefighters for both classes so you can guess that Bruce was helped or carried down the ladder many times. If you had a brat, hamburger or hot dog at one of our Fundraisers instead of Mikes Famous Boyah, Bruce would have been the one that fried that up. Even after Bruce retired from firefighter he still took care of the aging heaters at the old Fire Station and meeting hall and would be there as soon as possible to solve any problems.
Captain Jerry Aerts
11/18/1974 - 3/20/2020
Member of the Pensaukee Fire Department for 30 years.
Dennis Macdonald
5/18/1963 - 1/2/2020
Dennis served on Pensaukee Fire Department for 7 years and before that 18 with Oconto Fire Department
On the PFD department Dennis was known for his sense of humor and ability to tell very long winded jokes that were often hard to repeat.
When Dennis wasn't on the road driving his semi he always made worknights and meeting nights. And on emergency calls Dennis and one of the other firefighters sounded almost identical on the radio making more that one person wonder how Dennis could be in two different locations at the same time during our calls.
Outside of the fire department Dennis owned his own semi and enjoyed being with his children and grandchildren. Dennis's son Raymond followed in his father's footsteps in both the fire department and trucking as a career.
Marrell Wescott
The best way to tell about Marrell being on the fire department would be how veteran firefighters would introduce the new guys to him. "If Marrell comes up to you on a call, stop what you are doing and listen to him. He might have some advice on what you're trying to do or he is going to tell a joke. Either way it is in your best interest to stop and listen."
You have probably figured out that Marrell loved to tell jokes. On a serious note since he helped to start the fire department in 1974 he knew when humor was needed to get someone to take a step back and rethink what they were up to.
In those early days on the fire department our firefighters only had the gear on their back... literally. It wouldn't be until a few more years before the department started to get trucks and eventually a fire station. As one might guess those old trucks didn't start very well outside in the middle of winter. Marrell was especially good with any mechanical issue that you could think of and lots of other things as well. From getting things to run to knowing the right thing to say at the right time at town meetings. We can say that our new fire station is dedicated to the hard work and dedication of Marrell and the other firefighters that started the fire department.