The Jonesville Volunteer Fire Department honored firefighter Neil Finegan’s 50 years of service with a funeral procession on Sept. 17. 

The fire department had planned a Sept. 17 award ceremony for Finegan, but he died on Aug. 30 at 81 years old. 

“We honored him the best we possibly could,” Fire Chief Dean Adair said. “There was a procession of vehicles made up of different departments and people around the area, who came out of respect for a man that made it 50 years in the field.”

The procession was almost a mile long with fire trucks and vehicles from across Hillsdale County.

Adair said the department arranged the ceremony and processions with Finegan’s family, in order to respect the desires of those closest to him. 

“We never want to overpower the wishes of the family, so we tread lightly and we described the things that we can do and that we’d be glad to do,” Adair said. “We don’t want to step on the toes of the family, so if they want the bells and whistles, we’ll give it to them, but if they want a respectful ceremony, we can do that too.”

Finegan’s family asked Adair to speak at the funeral because of his close relationship and involvement during the later part of Finegan’s career. 

“Of course, this is a second family here at the station,” Adair said. “Every one of the guys that comes down here and does this job is a part of this tight-knit group, and their family is our family.”

Honoring the wishes of the Finegan family, the fire department transported both Finegan and his wife, who had died earlier that year, to the Mosherville cemetery, according to Eagle Funeral Homes. 

“The family wasn’t able to lay their mother, Neil’s wife, to rest when she passed earlier this year, so we agreed to take both of them in the rig to the cemetery,” Adair said. “We know how to honor somebody and the proper procedures to do that, so it was just a matter of getting everyone together and executing, the same way we do with fires.”

Rick Riggs, JVFD assistant chief, said Finegan’s dedication to the community was so admirable because of the nature of their volunteer department. 

“We are required to have all the qualifications of a career firefighter, but we do this voluntarily,” Riggs said. “If we get a call at 1 a.m. and are there until 3 in the morning, we still have to wake up and be at our 9-to-5 job that day.”

Finegan worked as a truck driver at the fire department. At 80 years old, he was still answering calls at 3 a.m., heading to the station, and driving the fire truck to emergencies, Riggs said. 

“There’s got to be a fire within somebody, to be doing what he was at that age and for that long,” Riggs said. “Neil was so dedicated that it didn’t matter when he got into his 60s, into his 70s, into his 80s. He was still coming down here and helping.”

Adair remembered multiple occasions when Finegan would arrive at a fire in the middle of winter and refuse to go home, simply because he wanted to do his part and was committed to protecting the community. 

“I remember a night when we had a structure fire in town, and it was one of those cold, brutal nights where snow was all over the ground. I turned around, and there was Neil, standing right behind me,” Adair said. “When I told him to get in the truck and warm up, he told me that if these guys could be out here, so could he. And he stayed until I eventually assigned him another job that took him back to the station.”

Finegan’s dedication especially showed when he served the community at a time when firefighters had less advanced gear. Adair described the resilience it took to be a firefighter during Finegan’s earlier years.

“Finegan served during the time they considered the smoke eaters: the guys that usually ended up with lung cancer because they were breathing in so much smoke all the time,” Adair said. “They didn’t have the breathing apparatuses we do now. They didn’t have the gear or protection we have now, which is why we have so much respect for them.”

Describing Finegan’s legacy, Adair said he would always be remembered for his hard work and love for the community, which showed in the way and the amount of time he served. 

“There were a lot of words that come to mind when I think about Neil, but some are honor, integrity, loyal, dedicated, and committed,” Adair said. “You don’t spend 50 years of your life committed to your community and doing this job without being every one of those words. And that’s why there’s big respect for him.”