Fire department honors man by taking
casket in historic fire truck
Ashley Bergner
Newton Kansan
Sam Bailey will be remembered not just
for his many years of service to the city of Newton, but for the way
in which he served.
Bailey, a retired fire chief, died on
Nov. 23.
He served the city of Newton for 44
years, 39 of those with the fire department.
"I would characterize Chief Bailey
as a quiet leader, a humble leader," said Gary Denny, Newton
Fire/EMS chief. "He was a true team player."
Steve Brackeen, current Newton Fire/EMS
battalion chief, was hired by the department in 1979, when Bailey was
the assistant fire chief.
He got to know Bailey through the years
and admired the former fire chief for his dedication and character.
"He had three loves in his life -
God, family and friends, and the Newton fire department, in that
order," Brackeen said. "He was just a good friend."
Brackeen said Bailey never raised his
voice or showed anger.
All he had to do was smile and raise an
eyebrow, and you knew you had done something wrong.
When Bailey arrived on the scene of a
fire, his knowledge and calmness helped reassure both responders and
victims everything would be taken care of in a professional manner.
The fire department paid tribute to
Bailey's years of service during his funeral Monday.
The casket was taken to the burial site
by a 1926 American LaFrance fire truck accompanied by a procession of
fire trucks and EMS units.
Although the fire department saw it as
a way to honor Bailey, Brackeen believes the former chief would have
been embarrassed by all the attention.
Bailey didn't like being in the
limelight and never wanted to take individual credit, preferring the
focus to be on others.
His goal was to benefit those around
him, not himself.
"He was always positive,"
Bailey said. "He figured if he made you better, then he did his
job."
