Assistant Chief Bob Wray Helped Build Foundation, Set Standards For Glenwood Fire Department
Glenwood Assistant Fire Chief Bob Wray in 2021 - his 50th year with the department.
Assistant Fire Chief Bob Wray received a key to the city from Mayor Ron Kohn in 2021. Kohn and Wray are shown here with Glenwood Fire Chief Bob Wray.
The Glenwood Fire Department is mourning the loss of Assistant Chief Bob Wray, a volunteer that not only served his community for over five decades, but helped build the foundation of the department and set a high standard for future generations of firefighters to follow.
Wray passed away March 13 at the age of 78 after a lengthy illness. He served on the department for over 53 years.
“Bob was very valuable to the Glenwood Fire Department,” Glenwood Fire Chief Matt Gray said.
“He was a very, very active member of the department. “He’s going to be missed down here.”Gray noted that Wray was one of the original members of the department’s dive team. He was instrumental in training and equipment purchases and served as a mentor to young firefighters. He taught CPR classes throughout the community.
“He’s always done a lot for the department, steering us in the right direction,” Gray said.
Wray joined the department at the age of 24 and was still responding to calls well into his late 60s.
“He was here pretty much daily,” Gray said. “Even after it got to the point where he couldn’t respond anymore, he’d still come down here and attend functions, like training. Often times, he would stop in here after treatment with the doctors. He’d still come and hang out at the station and at meetings and stuff like that.”
The Glenwood Fire Department will be 150 years old in 2026, meaning Assistant Chief Wray served for more than one-third of the department’s existence. He served under six chiefs – Willard Stivers, Wayne Boles, Max Hammer, Rex Palmer, Butch Fidler and Gray.
In an interview with The Opinion-Tribune in 2021, his 50th year as a firefighter, Wray talked about the passion and commitment most volunteer firefighters have and the sacrifices they and their families make for the communities.
“You do this because maybe it’s going to help out a friend, a neighbor or maybe people you don’t know,” he said. “If fire service gets into your blood, you really get enthused about it. You don’t miss a call unless it’s for something really important.”
Services for Wray will be Saturday at Peterson Mortuary.
An obituary notice is published in this week's edition of The Opinion-Tribune.