Under George Thiel’s 60-year watch, every firefighter went home.
And if it was an easy call, there was no hanging out at his station to unwind. Thiel was a family man and he believed his firefighters should be home with their families, according to firefighters who served for and with him.
Thiel, 92, died Saturday of natural causes.
Thiel retired from the Griffith Fire Department in 2012, when he was 85, his daughter-in-law, Robin Thiel, said. And even after he retired, there was rarely a day he couldn’t be found opening up Town Hall and starting the coffee for the employees because he just didn’t want to give up being part of the community, she said.
He also tended a nearby garden.
“He would tell anyone, ‘Come on over. Pick what you want,’” Robin Thiel said. “That was his life.”
Griffith Fire Chief Roy Schoon worked with Thiel for much of his career. He said Thiel was “very demanding” in the way he wanted things done, and he could be stern, but he was always fair.
“Under his leadership, all of us got to go home,” Schoon said.
Griffith Fire Lt. Joe Martin, who started with the department at 18-year-old and spent eight years under Thiel’s leadership, said the biggest lesson he learned from Thiel was to take pride and ownership in everything you do. And he instilled it by example.
“If you put the work in with things, he respected you,” Martin said. “I remember being a kid, and Chief came up to me and told me I did a good job about something. I felt like I’d won the lottery.”
Griffith Town Council President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd, said Thiel was more than just a fire chief. He was also a “mentor, a friend and a leader.”
“Most people don’t know this, but George started his day by attending Mass at 6:30 a.m. at St. Mary in Griffith every day for many decades,” Ryfa said. “He life was an example for all of us with the good he has done and the legacy he has left for himself and his family. He makes Griffith proud.”
Thiel is survived by his sons, Larry (Robin) Thiel, of Schererville; Michael Thiel, of West Lafayette; daughter Sandy (Sam) Chen, of Hawaii; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, Robin Thiel said. He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Peggy, in December.
Visitation is 3-9 p.m. Tuesday at White Funeral Home, 921 W. 45th Ave., Griffith. Firefighters from Griffith and other departments will stand guard over Thiel, and the Indiana Volunteer Firefighters Association will conduct a ceremony at 7 p.m., Martin said.
Funeral services are set for 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mary Catholic Church, 525 N. Broad St., with the department escorting Thiel on Engine 3116 to Calumet Park Cemetery. The engine will stop at Central Station, where a final call will be made, Martin said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
More Top Picks How To Prepare An Autistic Child For Change In Routine