PAW PAW, Mich. — Family, friends, first responders and Paw Paw community members came together Saturday to celebrate the life of Lt. Ethan Quillen.
Lt. Quillen died while on duty Wednesday, Feb. 22.
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The fallen volunteer firefighter's body was brought back to the village of Paw Paw Saturday, Feb. 25 with a procession led by his fire service family.
Visitation for Lt. Quillen started at 10 a.m. Saturday at Paw Paw High School. His funeral service began after 12:30 p.m.
Fire Chief Jim DeGroff offered a moving tribute to Lt. Quillen, remembering how loyal and dedicated he was to serving others.
"When he answered a single question, during his interview in 2019, he was asked what type of compensation he was looking for," Chief DeGroff recalls. "And he responded with, 'I want no compensation. I just want to serve my community.'"
Dispatchers called out Lt. Quillen's end of watch after the service ended.
Listen to it here:
The procession started at Paw Paw High School and headed west along Red Arrow Highway. When it entered the village limits, the procession turned south onto Kalamazoo Street toward Ampey Road, then shifted north onto Gremps Street. The procession then stopped in front of the Paw Paw Fire Department before continuing onto Michigan Avenue and back to Kalamazoo Street.
Lt. Quillen was laid to rest during a private ceremony in Allegan.
Community members were invited to stand along the procession route until it reached M-43.
From there, only family members, select loved ones and members of the Paw Paw Fire Department were allowed to continue.
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