‘He had firefighting in his blood’: 90-year-old firefighter leaves legacy of service

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) - The Pike County first responder community is saying goodbye to the man previously recognized as its oldest serving member.

Willie Runyon was a veteran and firefighter who dedicated his years to community safety, serving as a founding member of the Millard Fire Department in 1972. Runyon was burdened to create a sense of safety for his community when his neighbors lost everything to a fire in 1971.

“There was only two fire departments in the county at that time neither one of them is close by and Willie decided to do something about that and he did,” said Millard Fire and Rescue Fire Captain Chris Castle.

The department has only grown since its beginning, keeping the community safe and secure for the last 50 years, with Runyon serving as an active member in one way or another.

“He had firefighting in his blood,” said Chris Deskins, Millard VFD President. “He was a a mentor to us and he set an example for us.”

Runyon died Wednesday, leaving a community full of friends and family to discuss the impact his life had on the safety of the area.

“He gave it his all for as long as he could and we can’t thank him enough. We’ll never be able to thank him enough,” said Castle. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Willie.”

“Seeing us come from one truck to what we are now, it’s just his legacy,” said Runyon’s daughter Francie Adkins. “That’s where his heart was- with the fire department, with his community.”

She said he loved his family, fire department, and fellow Pike Countians more than anything and she believes his memory will live on thanks to the folks trained to hold the line in his stead.

“It boils down to innumerable amount of lives saved,” said Castle.

While they will find many ways to honor his memory, Adkins said the best way is to support your local fire departments.

“Reach out to your local departments. See if they need firefighters,” said Adkins. “That was a big thing for dad. He said, ‘Because, you know, as we get older, we need other ones to step in our shoes. We need the new ones to come in that the other ones can teach.”

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