David DeMeo retired as a Canton Fire Department captain - the head of the force's Fire Prevention Bureau - in 1985. But, he didn't separate himself from firefighters.
He was a friend of firefighters to the end.
DeMeo, 79, a member of the Canton Fire Department for three decades, died Tuesday morning after a brief illness. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Rossi Family Funeral Home.
"He taught fire science (at what is now Stark State College)," said his daughter Lisa DeMeo. "He taught younger guys how to do fire investigations. He was real close to the firemen. He knew them all, from back in his day to now."
DeMeo's day as a firefighter began on Oct. 20, 1955. He was promoted to captain in February 1965 and appointed to the Fire Prevention Bureau in 1966. He was captain in charge of the bureau when he retired in January 1985, after nearly 30 years with the department.
At the 2010 Fire Prevention Breakfast, DeMeo was lauded for his work in preventing fires. He was given a plaque. Upon that plaque was a golden firefighter's ax and the inscription "Dave DeMeo: The Godfather of Fire Prevention."
Among other awards given to DeMeo over the years was the George A. Eisnaugle Award from the Ohio Chapter of the International
Association of Arson Investigators for his work at arson suppression.
But, perhaps the greatest recognition was a hug and a smile given to him by Cathy Simile on the day of her wedding in 1976. He was her hero.
During a firemen's gathering in 1960, DeMeo and a fellow firefighter, friend and later fire chief Joe Concatto, saw what at first glance they thought was a baby doll six feet under the water at Willow Springs swimming pool.
Instead it was young Simile. "DeMeo jumped in, pulled out the soggy 5-year-old and pressed his mouth to hers," said an article in The Repository in 1976, "forcing his lungs like bellows to pump life-saving oxygen into her own."
He was humble about his actions.
"A lot of people could have done it ... I was just there."
In retirement, DeMeo worked for several years with Buckeye Protective Services. He was a Ward 7 Canton City Council member in 1988-1989. More recently, he did public relations work for Design Restoration & Reconstruction.
During the course of that employment, he had occasion to go to fire scenes. Thus he became reacquainted with old firemen friends and introduced to new ones.
By Gary Brown
He was a friend of firefighters to the end.
DeMeo, 79, a member of the Canton Fire Department for three decades, died Tuesday morning after a brief illness. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Rossi Family Funeral Home.
"He taught fire science (at what is now Stark State College)," said his daughter Lisa DeMeo. "He taught younger guys how to do fire investigations. He was real close to the firemen. He knew them all, from back in his day to now."
DeMeo's day as a firefighter began on Oct. 20, 1955. He was promoted to captain in February 1965 and appointed to the Fire Prevention Bureau in 1966. He was captain in charge of the bureau when he retired in January 1985, after nearly 30 years with the department.
At the 2010 Fire Prevention Breakfast, DeMeo was lauded for his work in preventing fires. He was given a plaque. Upon that plaque was a golden firefighter's ax and the inscription "Dave DeMeo: The Godfather of Fire Prevention."
Among other awards given to DeMeo over the years was the George A. Eisnaugle Award from the Ohio Chapter of the International
Association of Arson Investigators for his work at arson suppression.
But, perhaps the greatest recognition was a hug and a smile given to him by Cathy Simile on the day of her wedding in 1976. He was her hero.
During a firemen's gathering in 1960, DeMeo and a fellow firefighter, friend and later fire chief Joe Concatto, saw what at first glance they thought was a baby doll six feet under the water at Willow Springs swimming pool.
Instead it was young Simile. "DeMeo jumped in, pulled out the soggy 5-year-old and pressed his mouth to hers," said an article in The Repository in 1976, "forcing his lungs like bellows to pump life-saving oxygen into her own."
He was humble about his actions.
"A lot of people could have done it ... I was just there."
In retirement, DeMeo worked for several years with Buckeye Protective Services. He was a Ward 7 Canton City Council member in 1988-1989. More recently, he did public relations work for Design Restoration & Reconstruction.
During the course of that employment, he had occasion to go to fire scenes. Thus he became reacquainted with old firemen friends and introduced to new ones.
By Gary Brown
David DeMeo retired as a Canton Fire Department captain - the head of the force's Fire Prevention Bureau - in 1985. But, he didn't separate himself from firefighters.
He was a friend of firefighters to the end.
DeMeo, 79, a member of the Canton Fire Department for three decades, died Tuesday morning after a brief illness. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Rossi Family Funeral Home.
"He taught fire science (at what is now Stark State College)," said his daughter Lisa DeMeo. "He taught younger guys how to do fire investigations. He was real close to the firemen. He knew them all, from back in his day to now."
DeMeo's day as a firefighter began on Oct. 20, 1955. He was promoted to captain in February 1965 and appointed to the Fire Prevention Bureau in 1966. He was captain in charge of the bureau when he retired in January 1985, after nearly 30 years with the department.
At the 2010 Fire Prevention Breakfast, DeMeo was lauded for his work in preventing fires. He was given a plaque. Upon that plaque was a golden firefighter's ax and the inscription "Dave DeMeo: The Godfather of Fire Prevention."
Among other awards given to DeMeo over the years was the George A. Eisnaugle Award from the Ohio Chapter of the International
Association of Arson Investigators for his work at arson suppression.
But, perhaps the greatest recognition was a hug and a smile given to him by Cathy Simile on the day of her wedding in 1976. He was her hero.
During a firemen's gathering in 1960, DeMeo and a fellow firefighter, friend and later fire chief Joe Concatto, saw what at first glance they thought was a baby doll six feet under the water at Willow Springs swimming pool.
Instead it was young Simile. "DeMeo jumped in, pulled out the soggy 5-year-old and pressed his mouth to hers," said an article in The Repository in 1976, "forcing his lungs like bellows to pump life-saving oxygen into her own."
He was humble about his actions.
"A lot of people could have done it ... I was just there."
In retirement, DeMeo worked for several years with Buckeye Protective Services. He was a Ward 7 Canton City Council member in 1988-1989. More recently, he did public relations work for Design Restoration & Reconstruction.
During the course of that employment, he had occasion to go to fire scenes. Thus he became reacquainted with old firemen friends and introduced to new ones.
By Gary Brown
He was a friend of firefighters to the end.
DeMeo, 79, a member of the Canton Fire Department for three decades, died Tuesday morning after a brief illness. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Rossi Family Funeral Home.
"He taught fire science (at what is now Stark State College)," said his daughter Lisa DeMeo. "He taught younger guys how to do fire investigations. He was real close to the firemen. He knew them all, from back in his day to now."
DeMeo's day as a firefighter began on Oct. 20, 1955. He was promoted to captain in February 1965 and appointed to the Fire Prevention Bureau in 1966. He was captain in charge of the bureau when he retired in January 1985, after nearly 30 years with the department.
At the 2010 Fire Prevention Breakfast, DeMeo was lauded for his work in preventing fires. He was given a plaque. Upon that plaque was a golden firefighter's ax and the inscription "Dave DeMeo: The Godfather of Fire Prevention."
Among other awards given to DeMeo over the years was the George A. Eisnaugle Award from the Ohio Chapter of the International
Association of Arson Investigators for his work at arson suppression.
But, perhaps the greatest recognition was a hug and a smile given to him by Cathy Simile on the day of her wedding in 1976. He was her hero.
During a firemen's gathering in 1960, DeMeo and a fellow firefighter, friend and later fire chief Joe Concatto, saw what at first glance they thought was a baby doll six feet under the water at Willow Springs swimming pool.
Instead it was young Simile. "DeMeo jumped in, pulled out the soggy 5-year-old and pressed his mouth to hers," said an article in The Repository in 1976, "forcing his lungs like bellows to pump life-saving oxygen into her own."
He was humble about his actions.
"A lot of people could have done it ... I was just there."
In retirement, DeMeo worked for several years with Buckeye Protective Services. He was a Ward 7 Canton City Council member in 1988-1989. More recently, he did public relations work for Design Restoration & Reconstruction.
During the course of that employment, he had occasion to go to fire scenes. Thus he became reacquainted with old firemen friends and introduced to new ones.
By Gary Brown
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