QUILCENE — A ceremony Saturday will celebrate the naming of the Quilcene fire station after the late Chief Bob Wilson.
The ceremony will be at 2 p.m. at the newly christened Bob Wilson Fire Station 21 at 70 Herbert St.
Wilson, who had served as chief of the department since 1992, died of cancer in April 2009. He was 58.
“He was an excellent chief and an excellent friend,” said Deputy Chief Moe Moser of the Quilcene Fire Department.
“He loved the fire service, and he was committed to its operation.”
Several friends and colleagues will speak at the event, including Port Ludlow Fire Chief Ed Wilkerson.
“He was a good friend and a professional colleague,” Wilkerson said of Wilson.
“We shared a vision of the fire service in Jefferson County and how it should always be getting better.
“He put into his heart into improving fire service as a whole, and that is happening.”
Wilson’s widow, Veda Wilson, saw the plaque on the fire hall this week.
“This is a celebration of his life and his commitment to the community,” she said.
The plaque reads:
“This building is dedicated to Chief Bob Wilson for his service to the fire department and the community.”
As she read the plaque, a friend came out to greet her, “and we were just hugging each other and crying,” she said.
“This is a real honor,” she said. “With those new letters up there, it looked like a new building.”
Wilson said the idea grew out of a proposal to name the Quilcene Community Center after the late chief.
That caught the attention of the fire department, she said.
“They asked the family what they wanted, and the decision was a no-brainer,” Wilson said.
Born in San Bernardino, Calif., Chief Wilson began his tenure with Quilcene Fire District 2 in 1985 as a volunteer.
In 1992, he was appointed chief in a part-time capacity.
He also worked as a heavy-equipment operator to augment his part-time position as fire chief.
Robert Low replaced Wilson as department chief earlier this year.
The Wilsons had three children, two of whom still live in Quilcene.
The entire family will be on hand for the dedication, Wilson said, along with former colleagues and representatives from several local fire departments.
For more information, phone the Quilcene Fire Department at 360-765-3333.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
