PHOTOS: The Swartz Creek Area Fire Department announced the death of Battalion Chief Jack L.A. King on Tuesday, April 9.
The fire department said King was an active member of the Swartz Creek Area Fire Department, and he had served the community for nearly 50 years.
King served under nine fire chiefs, and he held every rank in the department except for fire chief, the department said, adding he also served as the department’s maintenance supervisor for many years.
“Known to many as ‘Papa Jack’ he was a grandfather figure to many of us in the department, something that continued to carry to our children,” the fire department said in a Facebook post.
The department said all three of King’s children served with him at one point in some capacity at the Swartz Creek Area Fire Department, and he inspired his grandson to become a full-time firefighter.