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Canfield Fire chief Tieche dies
By Elise Franco
Canfield
Family and colleagues of Chief Robert J. Tieche said they’ll remember him as a man with passion.
Tieche, 63, who served as the chief of the Cardinal Joint Fire District for more than 20 years, died suddenly Saturday, according to a tribute sent by family to The Vindicator.
His brother Chuck Tieche, who is the former Canfield city manager, said he went into the hospital Saturday morning with pain in his abdomen.
“I’m not sure I’ve gotten a handle on the situation. ... The doctor indicated bleeding internally,” Chuck Tieche said. “He was bleeding just about as fast as they could put blood in.”
Tieche said his brother had been undergoing cancer treatment for the past three years but was in remission.
He said he will be missed by everyone who knew him.
“He was feeling well and working every day. He fought a fire Friday night,” he said. “For me, he was a confidante. Family and his grandkids were sort of the loves of his life.”
Canfield Mayor William Kay said he and Tieche have a long history and a friendship that dates back many years. Kay said the fire chief will be missed by everyone in the Canfield community.
“I knew he’d been ill, and I thought he was recovering fairly well. He’s certainly going to be missed,” he said.
“I don’t know if the community can ever thank him for the contributions he’s made. He ran a first-class operation in the Canfield Joint Fire District.”
Kay said Tieche’s love for the job is what made him such an asset to the fire department.
“He’s a guy who always had a passion for his vocation,” he said. “Every time you talk to him he’d be talking about a new way of training or something like that. He was very proud of the [fire district.]”
Tieche became a volunteer firefighter with the Canfield Fire Department in 1971 and was appointed as the chief of the department in 1981.
Calling hours are from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Lane Funeral Home in Canfield. Funeral will be at 8 a.m. Thursday at Canfield United Methodist Church.
Canfield Police Chief Chuck Colucci said he’s worked with Tieche for 15 years and feels for his tightly-knit family.
“The best way I can sum him up is a hard-working, committed professional who cared deeply about his family and the profession,” Colucci said.
“I feel deep sorrow for his family and for all the firemen and all the colleagues he worked with day in and day out.”
Colucci said Tieche was someone who was happy to come to work everyday because he enjoyed his job.
“He truly loved serving the residents of Canfield. That’s important,” he said.