Near the end of the funeral for Clayton Fire Chief John Pridemore Tuesday, Deputy Chief Jeff Lightcap used an emergency radio to report the final call for the chief, to sound the siren.
There was a long pause before the siren blew as if the firehouse wasn’t ready to let the chief go – a feeling shared by hundreds of firefighters, first responders, family and friends attending the service.
Pridemore, 54, died in service to the fire company, leading a firehouse cleanup on March 7. He was in a scissor lift that was knocked over when the electric garage door went up. Pridemore fell about 25 feet. He was flown by a state police helicopter to Christiana Hospital but died the next day.
The firefighters said the cleaning project was an example of how Pridemore led from the front.
“He wouldn’t say, ‘Mop the floor.’ He would start mopping and the members would gravitate to him and follow what he was doing,” said Kevin Wilson, the fire company’s public information officer and a close friend of Pridemore.
Wilson said their two families would vacation together.
“He loved to fish, hunt, be on his boat and go to the beach,” said Wilson.
Originally from Illinois, Pridemore enjoyed how close his home in Clayton was to the coast.
Fire company chaplain Rev. Richard Walton joked that Pridemore’s one “failing” was his allegiance to his childhood sports teams in Illinois, the Chicago Bears and the Cubs.
Walton led the funeral service which was attended by town, county and state government officials including Gov. John Carney and Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long.
He told the Pridemore family, “Once there’s a firefighter in your family, your family expands exponentially….We are all family. We grieve, we celebrate with you. When there’s a need, we’re available.”
Pridemore was Walton’s fire service training partner when Walton joined the company.
“John is special to us all,” Walton said. “His humility and his leadership go hand in hand…He never asked anyone to do anything he wasn’t prepared to do first.”
The chaplain quoted lyrics from a contemporary Christian song by Casting Crowns: “If I had only known the last time would be the last time, I would’ve put off all the things I had to do. I would’ve stayed a little longer, held on a little tighter. Now what I’d give for one more day with you.”
In reading passages from the Bible, Walton offered words of comfort to family and friends and said, “In this time of sorrow, we will discover hope.”
He also told humorous stories shared by Pridemore’s family.
“John was a very organized person,” Walton said. “Anything filed and put in order, John put his stamp of approval on it,” except for a particular home improvement project. Pridemore wanted to fix a section of floor in a bathroom, but after tearing up the floor, decided to remodel the whole bathroom.
“You’ve all seen those home improvement, DIY shows, when they fix everything in a few hours. John took a little more time on that bathroom. I was told more like five years,” Walton said, evoking laughter from those in attendance.
Just a month earlier, Pridemore was excited about being hired as Clayton town manager, after working for Schwan’s Sales, a frozen food company.
Clayton Mayor Nick Smith spoke at the service, expressing the sorrow of the town council and town staff, many of whom are members of the fire company.
“We only had John as town manager for a month, but it didn’t take long to realize we had chosen the right man for the job,” said Smith. “He was happy because he was going to be able to be home more and spend more time with his family and the fire company. My heart is broken for his family, his brotherhood in the fire company and our town.”
Smith said, “You have to be grateful for everything in your life. Be thankful for the little things. You have to believe you’re connected with John and still connected spiritually and believe you can heal.”
He encouraged everyone affected by Pridemore’s loss to reach out if they need help, to “talk to people and say things you need to say. It starts with being honest.”
Past Chief Alex Carrow, who is now second assistant chief, said the three words that best describe the chief are on a t-shirt he often wore: “family, pride and tradition.”
Like on the shirt, Pridemore told the firefighters that family comes first.
“He expected us to attend family events, even if they conflicted with something at the firehouse,” said Carrow. “He showed pride in his family, the fire company and his love for Clayton. His pride grew a month ago when he became town manager.”
Pridemore also emphasized the tradition of the Clayton Fire Company, encouraging members to learn about the fire company’s history.
On a personal note, Carrow said, “I’ll miss our talks and the genuine friendship you gave to me and everyone you met. Summers aren’t going to be the same without you. At Harpoon Hanna’s, the first orange crush this year will be in your memory.”
He also thanked fellow first responders and everyone who has helped the fire company and the family with food, donations and covering the Clayton fire district in emergencies so the firefighters could grieve.
The Dover Pipes, assisted by bagpipers and drummers from Pennsylvania, played “Going Home” and “Amazing Grace.”
Pridemore’s relatives, Annette Warbritton, Jim Bowes and Robert Pridemore, read Bible verses including from Ecclesiastes: “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance….”
Pridemore’s time in the fire company began in 1991. He moved up through the leadership ranks, first on the administrative side, serving as company vice president in 2008, then president from 2009-2011 and vice president again in 2012. On the fire line side, he was elected chief last year after serving as deputy chief for two years, and before that as captain and lieutenant.
Deputy Chief Jeff Lightcap knew Pridemore since he joined the fire company more than 30 years ago.
“I was here at the firehouse the day he picked up his application,” said Lightcap. “He wanted to help the town, and service in the fire company was something he could do to serve the community.”
Lightcap described him as “a very dedicated member.”
“He was always first to lead,” Lightcap said. “He worked hard and earned every position in served in through the years.”
The fire company’s board of directors will be meeting Wednesday to decide how the rest of the officers will be filling the fire line duties, but Lightcap said, “John’s gear is staying in his locker and he is still the chief until the end of the year.”
Lightcap said Pridemore was great with kids and would always take the time to talk and play with children of other firefighters when they were at the firehouse.
“He was a family guy,” said Lightcap. “That was pretty much his style. He wasn’t outspoken. He led by example.”
Pridemore’s immediate family includes his wife, Kimberly; son, Michael; daughter, Amanda, and her boyfriend, Jorden, and granddaughter, Sadie.
The family requests donations be made to the Clayton Fire Company, P.O. Box 1050, Clayton, DE 19938 in Chief Pridemore’s memory.
Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.
