Lawn and garden show pairs with home show

Those attending celebration of the life for Lecompton Fire and Rescue Chief William Willy Shockley watch a slideshow of pictures from his life on a screen to the right. Representatives from every fire department in Douglas County attended the event.

The Lecompton community and first responders in Douglas and Jefferson counties turned out Saturday to say goodbye to a man they remembered as someone who was always there for people in need.

William Willy Shockley

More than 200 people — including representatives from every fire department in Douglas County and many in western Jefferson County — attended a celebration of life for William “Willy” Shockley, who died Feb. 12 at the age of 54. Shockley was the chief of the Lecompton Fire and Rescue Department the past six years and served with the department for 14 years.

Lecompton volunteer firefighter Brighton Ballmer, who was standing in the cold rain directing a steady stream of pedestrians to the Lecompton fire station, said Shockley was a demanding but caring chief.

“He cared a lot for this community,” Ballmer said. “It didn’t matter who you were, he was there for you if you needed help.”

Corky Kearney, a 24-year veteran of the Clinton Township Fire Department, echoed those sentiments as she watched a slideshow of photographs of Shockley on a video screen set up inside the packed fire station’s truck bay. Kearney, whose husband, Jim, served with Shockley in the Lecompton department, said Shockley was always willing to lend a hand in an emergency.

“One time, we had a little accident with a table saw,” Kearney said. “Just as we were getting ready to go to the hospital, my old mare collapsed right in front of us. I was sitting there wondering what I was going to do — get my husband to the emergency room, or stay with the mare. Just then, up pulls Willy. He stayed with me the whole time until the vet got there, and I could go to the hospital. He was always there for people.”

On Saturday, Shockley was honored with three blasts from a firetruck air horn and a radio dispatcher’s last call. It was a simple ceremony, but acting Lecompton fire chief Wayne Riley said that’s the way the casual Shockley would have wanted it.

Shockley made a lot of friends in the county’s emergency management and first responder communities as a ham radio operator and the driver of the Douglas County Emergency Management command van that showed up at bigger fires and disasters, Riley said. The first responder community’s respect for Shockley was evident in the number of people who came to Saturday’s ceremony, he said.

In a short speech at the ceremony, retired Lecompton fire chief LeRoy Boucher said Shockley was one of those dedicated first responders who answered the call no matter the weather or the time.

“The next time you are cuddled up all warm and cozy in bed and hear a fire siren, think of Willy,” he said. “Even if it was 3 in the morning and he had to be at work at 7, Willy was there.”

Nicole Neil, one of Shockley’s six daughters, said the turnout at the ceremony showed how many people’s lives Shockley had made an impact on.

“I knew he was amazing to me,” she said. “I didn’t know he was amazing to everyone else.”