The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Lyle Widmayer marks 60 years of public service
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 26, 2007
When he was growing up, Lyle Widmayer wanted to be like his father.
Advertisement
The son of a firefighter, Widmayer followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Manchester Fire Department in 1947. Six decades later, it's safe to say that Widmayer has made his father proud.
Widmayer was the guest of honor Sunday during an open house at the Manchester Township Hall and recognized for his 60 years of service to the community.
The event, called "Honoring a Public Servant," was hosted by Manchester Township Fire Chief William Scully. Also attending was state Sen. Randy Richardville, R-District 17, who presented Widmayer with a special legislative tribute to honor his service to the fire department.
While much of the focus of the open house centered on his tenure with the fire department, Widmayer also has played an active role in Manchester Township government. He has served in a variety of positions, including his current role as a trustee on the Manchester Township Board.
Widmayer has lived in Manchester his entire life. As a young boy, he often watched his father in action and became inspired to serve the community. However, he didn't know that service would span generations.
"No, I didn't think I'd be involved for 60 years," he said. "I remember getting up and going to fires with my dad, and I thought that I'd like to be on the fire department."
Widmayer got his wish as a young adult. After serving in the military during the end of World War II, he joined the Manchester Township Fire Department in 1947. He didn't get to work with his dad, who left the department earlier that year, but he filled his father's position and never looked back.
Widmayer eventually worked his way up to assistant fire chief, a position he held for 13 years. Throughout his service, he has been a part of many significant changes within the department that have made him proud.
Included among the changes was the addition of new fire trucks. When Widmayer started, the department had one Model-T fire truck. Since then, it has added a new John Bean fire truck and has 36 GMC trucks of various sizes. Improvements were also made to firefighters' equipment, giving them more updated options to use, he said.
The fire department, in conjunction with the Manchester Township Board, built its current facility on Macomb Street.
"There have been a lot of changes, but I'm most proud of the changes to the fire department," Widmayer said. "They have a state-of-the-art fire department, and the equipment they have is perfect for the Manchester Department."
Richardville agreed that Widmayer has been a key factor in the development of the fire department.
"I commend Lyle for his remarkable service to Manchester Township," Richardville said. "He has demonstrated great commitment and devotion while helping protect the lives and homes of residents for many years."
It was through the fire department that Widmayer began getting involved with local government. He first served as Manchester Township's representative to the Planning Commission and was the village clerk for 12 years. He was later appointed as the township's trustee to the Planning Commission, a position he's held for 37 years.
Widmayer also served on the Manchester Township Board and Village Council simultaneously for a period of time. When he decided not to do both, Widmayer resigned from the Village Council and remained in his current position with Manchester Township.
"I wanted to serve the community, and to serve 60 years I guess I've been quite involved," he said.
Widmayer serves on the Township Board with Supervisor Ron Mann, Township Clerk Ann Becktel, Treasurer Judith Huber and fellow trustees Sybil Kolon, Carl Macomber and John Schmidt.
"It's an organized township board that's very active," Widmayer said. "Ron has been supervisor for 18 to 20 years, and he's a very capable supervisor. Carl has been a very good and organized trustee."
Widmayer also sparked the beginning of several events now identified with Manchester. He was one of the original members of the Manchester Chicken Broil, the town's major summer festival, which is entering its 53rd year. He also instigated the start of the Manchester Jaycees and served as the chairman of the Manchester Fair Board. In addition, he was instrumental in starting the annual parade for the event.
"It was an honor for me to present Mr. Widmayer with this tribute," Richardville said.
Widmayer also has been involved in local business. He ran the Ford Garage and owned the Manchester Village Laundry for 21 years along with his wife, Maxine.
"We owned the laundry, but it was my wife who ran it," he said.
Widmayer remains an active member of Emmanuel United Church of Christ, where he was "born, baptized and married." He and his wife also travel to Tawas, where they have a cabin.
"I stay active and keep up with community affairs," Widmayer said. "I'm pretty happy with the way my life is going."
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
TOP JOBS
