Passing of a Chester County Fire Service Leader

The Officers and Members of the Salisbury Township Fire Company #1 woukld like to extend our condolences to the family, friends and fellow firefighters of Mr. Fred B. Eckenbach.\
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Mr. Eckenbach was a longtime leader in the fire service in western Chester County, formerly serving as Fire Chief for the Thorndale Fire Company. He was also a member of the Wagontown, Martins Corner, and Alert-Downingtown Fire Companies, as well as most recently serving as West Caln Township’s Fire Marshal & Code Enforcement Officer.\
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Mr. Eckenbach’s obituary as it appeared in the West Chester Daily Local News:\
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“Fred B. Eckenbach, 73, of Coatesville, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, at Neighborhood Hospice of West Chester, with his family at his side.\
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He was the loving husband of Diane L. Eckenbach (nee Ney), with whom he shared 22 years of marriage.\
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Born in New York, he was the son of the late Fred and Anna Dale Eckenbach.\
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He was a 1954 graduate of Church Farm School.\
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Fred was a code enforcement officer for West Caln Township for the past 11 years. Prior to that, he served as an officer with the East Bradford and West Brandywine police departments. He then became a dispatcher for the Downingtown Police Department.\
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Fred was a lifetime member of Thorndale Fire Company, where he held the position of fire chief from 1979 until 1992. In addition, Fred was a paid driver for the company until retiring in 1997 and was then appointed as the fire marshal for West Caln Township, a position which he held until recently. During his tenure in the fire service, Fred was a member of the Wagontown, Martin’s Corner, and Minquas fire companies and a lifetime member of the Alert Fire Company, where he held the position of engineer.\
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Chief Eckenback was a member of the Chester County Fire Chiefs Association, where he previously held the office of president and was an instructor for the Chester County Fire Training Services.\
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He was a member of the VFW Post #845 Downingtown.\
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In his spare time, he enjoyed boating and operating his CB radio in conjunction with the REACT Association.\
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In addition to his wife, Diane, Fred is survived by his daughter, Cheryl L. Strunack and husband, Fred, of West Bradford; stepchildren, Jeffrey Watkins of Florida, Mark Watkins-Fichl of Bath, Deborah Beck and husband, Richard, of Rockville, Md., and Jennifer Kibler and husband, Jason, of Downingtown. He is also survived by his sister, June Abby of Easton; and by seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.\
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He was predeceased by his daughter, Deborah Boggs; and his stepmother, Edith Eckenbach.\
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A funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Downingtown United Methodist Church, 751 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown.\
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A visitation for family and friends will be held on Friday, Oct. 23, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the James J. Terry Funeral Home, 736 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, and on Saturday from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. at the church.\
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Interment will be in Bradford Cemetery, Marshallton.\
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In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to in his name to Neighborhood Hospice of West Chester, 400 E. Marshall St., West Chester, PA 19380; or to the Chester County Fire Chiefs Association, c/o Thomas Lee, 118 Green St., Downingtown, PA 19335.”\
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More informaton can be found here:\
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http://thorndalefirecompany.com/index.cfm?fs=news.newsView&News_ID=343\