CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio – As the celebration of life service for Moreland Hills Mayor Daniel Fritz was about to begin Saturday (March 25), a severe thunderstorm and high winds caused a loss of electrical power, and a backup generator kicked on.
But by the end of the 90-minute service, the rain had stopped, and the sun was shining. It was like Fritz was looking down from heaven and saying goodbye to all who came to pay a final tribute to him.
“I guess that is who Dan was,” funeral director Ross DeJohn III told the standing-room crowd of more than 400 people that packed the chapel, café and foyer of the DeJohn Funeral Home and Celebrations Center.
Fritz died suddenly on March 16 at age 55. His body was found that morning at Eldon Russell Park in Troy Township. The cause of death remains under investigation.
DeJohn, president and chief operating officer of DeJohn Funeral Homes, said more than 800 people came through the funeral home Saturday – including a two-hour visitation period that preceded the service – and 563 people watched a livestream of the service via the funeral home’s website.
“I have to say this is probably the largest funeral we’ve ever had here,” DeJohn said. “I don’t think we can fit anyone else in the building.”
The crowd included many public officials and firefighters from surrounding communities who came to honor Fritz, a career firefighter/paramedic who had served as Moreland Hills’ mayor since 2000.
Fritz, who grew up in Orange, also served as assistant chief of the Orange Village Fire Department and a captain of the Bedford Heights Fire Department.
Most of those who spoke at the service mixed serious reflections about Fritz with humorous anecdotes, honoring the request of Fritz’s wife, Colleen, to “keep it light.”
But a couple speakers noted that Fritz, a 1986 graduate of Orange High School, was the go-to person for many when they had a problem or needed help with something.
“Many people have mentioned this week about Dan reaching out when they had troubles,” said Orange Fire Chief Bob Wilson, who worked with Fritz for all 29 of Fritz’s years in fire service. “It’s just unfathomable to me how he looked after each and every one of us.
“Someone even mentioned, and I agree, that if this were happening to somebody else, Dan was the guy we would go to for help. Dan would always have the answers, and he was calm and cool. I mean, he’d be the one I’d be talking to about this right now.”
Wilson, who shared several funny stories about working with Fritz, turned serious when he said it’s going to be hard to move forward without his longtime friend and colleague.
“Dan meant so much to so many, and that is evident here today with this turnout that we have for him,” Wilson said, his voice cracking with emotion. “He’s going to be hard to replace in Orange Fire, as he did so many things that it’s going to take several people to fill his role.
“But most of all, I’m just going to miss my friend from being there to talk to. Rest easy, brother; we’ll take it from here.”
‘Dan was a dichotomy’
Matt Barkett, who said he considered Fritz to be his best friend, asked, “How many of us in this room thought, ‘I’ll call Dan,’ when they ran into a problem to solve or needed advice on something?”
“That was often my answer, because I not only knew he’d know who to call and what to do, but I knew that he’d care and he’d find a way to help,” he said.
Barkett said Fritz, a dedicated public servant, cared about everything, “often to his own detriment.”
“Dan was a dichotomy,” he said. “He engendered real trust and embodied responsibility, yet also struggled with real issues, including depression and anxiety.
“He was brave and strong, willing to run into a burning building to save someone’s life. But if a bat or a bee flew into his house, he’d scream like a little girl.”
Barkett said Fritz loved his family, friends and the community, and always put them first.
“There are no words and no answers for this,” he said. “He was such a fixture, and you could always count on him to be there, and now that he’s not, the world is off its axis.
“If I could, I’d call Dan, and I’d ask him what to do. He’d have an answer; he always did.”
‘A very important force’
Larry Genova, a captain of the Orange Village Fire Department who recently retired as a lieutenant with the Bedford Heights Fire Department, also said Fritz was one of his best friends.
“We all knew the influence Dan’s dad (former Orange Fire Chief Fred Fritz) had on him, eventually committing to a life of community service, especially the fire service,” Genova said. “He became a very important force in both (fire) departments that he served.
“Dan always wanted to improve, not only himself, but the men and women he worked with, whether it was a new theory or a new technique or just improving the old way of doing things to make us all better and safer.”
Genova went on to share several humorous anecdotes about working with Fritz, noting “Dan would want it no other way.”
“In the end, no matter what, Dan loved each and every one of us and was proud to work alongside of us,” he said. “That was the thing about Dan; once you were his friend, you were pretty much stuck there forever.”
Genova said as he was preparing his remarks for the service, he heard the song, “Second Chance,” by Shinedown on the radio. He said he “simply broke down and cried.”
“The song is about throwing caution to the wind and going after what you truly want in life, and I believe Dan did that,” he said. “Today should be a call to everyone to make this their second chance and go after what you truly want.
“And along the way, make a difference, serve your fellow man, and be the friend that everyone needs.”
Pastor recalls last time she saw Fritz
The Rev. Joyce Lawson, pastor of the United Methodist Church of Chagrin Falls, led several prayers in officiating the service. She noted she was Fritz’s pastor for the past 8½ years.
“Like you, I knew him as a friendly, outgoing, considerate, kind and caring man – someone who often shared a word of encouragement and who regularly extended a helping hand,” she said.
“Clearly, he was a good friend, or he wouldn’t have so many friends. He was also a busy man who took seriously all of his many responsibilities while trying his best to balance and honor each one of them.”
Lawson spoke about the last time she saw Fritz, at the church’s 10 a.m. worship service on Feb. 5. That morning, she said, she led Fritz in “a time of remembrance and reaffirming his baptism vows.”
“You see, two Sundays earlier, the congregation had engaged in a similar experience,” she said. “It’s something that I do about every three years.
“However, Dan was absent that Sunday, so he reached out to me by email and asked if I might help him reaffirm his vows at a different time. We settled on Feb. 5.
“I certainly don’t know everything that was on Dan’s mind that morning, but I am certain he took seriously the reaffirming of his vows,” she continued. “It was meaningful to him. I heard it in his voice; I saw it in his eyes.
“I am thankful for those meaningful moments that I had with him.”
Lawson closed by saying, “To recall Dan’s life, his character, his personality and many contributions is to know that there is much for which to be thankful.”
Son wishes for more time with dad
The final speaker was Fritz’s son, Jake, who thanked everyone for their outreach and support on behalf of his family.
“My dad was always an easy-going and fun guy,” he said. “He always knew how to joke around and have a good time, but he also knew when to crack down and get serious.
“And believe it or not, I think even given the circumstances of today, he would not want us to crack down and get serious; he’d want us to joke around and have a good time.”
So Jake Fritz went on to share some funny memories of experiences he had with his dad.
But he also spoke about how seriously his father took his career as a firefighter and how they shared a love of fishing, the outdoors and sports.
“Going to the same school as my dad (Ohio University in Athens) was one of the best decisions that I ever made because it just gave us another thing to bond about,” he said.
“My dad helped shape me into the man that I am today,” he continued. “I could not have asked for a better dad growing up. Obviously, I wish that I could have had some more time with him.
“But I’m going to leave everybody with this: There are people out there who are waiting to meet you and waiting to love you. No matter what you are going through, you are not alone. Just remember, the world is a better place with you in it.
“Thank you all again so much for being here today. And rest easy up there, Dad. I hope the beer is cold and the fish are biting, for once.”
Chagrin Valley Dispatch’s ‘final alarm’
The service opened with this message over the public address system from the Chagrin Valley Dispatch, in the form of a radio dispatch:
“It is with a heavy heart that we transmit the final alarm for Orange Village Assistant Fire Chief, Mayor of Moreland Hills and Bedford Heights Fire Captain Daniel Fritz,” the dispatcher said.
“His selfless and compassionate dedication to the communities that he served and his brothers and sisters that he served alongside was steadfast and unwavering. His unexpected passing will leave an eternal void in the safety forces that he was a proud member of, as well as in the entire Chagrin Valley community.
“Our hearts go out to the Fritz family, members of the area police and fire departments and the many close friends of this dedicated public servant. Assistant Fire Chief Daniel Fritz, you will never be forgotten. May you rest in peace.”
The service concluded with firefighters walking in pairs to a table in the front of the chapel that contained a box with Fritz’s cremated remains, photos of him and flowers, and saluting him.
A final salute by all of the firefighters followed outside the building, including a brief bell service.
“As human beings, we measure life in years, and sometimes it’s really what people do with those years that means more,” DeJohn said in his closing remarks. “Fifty-five (years) is way too short; we know that.
“But this man sounds like he’s done more in those 55 years than most people do in 95 years.”
DeJohn added, “The greatest gift that every person in this building here could give this family is to continue to tell the stories.”
“Keep those stories going for years and years to come,” he said.
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