Grundy Reporter

In a Dec. 30 Facebook post, Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) congratulated Morris Deputy Fire Chief Bob Wills on his retirement.

“Congratulations, Chief Bob Wills, on your retirement after 44 years of service to the city of Morris,” she said on Facebook.

Shaw Local reported Wills began volunteering at 21 years old.

In her Facebook post, Rezin shared a link to news coverage about Wills' retirement. Shaw Local notes that he was following in his grandfather's footsteps when he joined the fire department in 1978. He was a volunteer then.

“The lights and the sounds, you know as a 6-year-old, you don’t just get over that. The doors lifted up and up. At the time, we were alerted by a big fire siren,” Wills told Shawn Local. “Just the sights and the sounds and watching the guys jump on the fire trucks and put their gear on and boom – out the door. Then there is a sudden stillness in the firehouse and the guys’ shoes are on the floor.”

The Morris Fire and Ambulance Protection District shared this message on Facebook to commemorate Wills' retirement: "Deputy Chief Wills will retire at 23:59 this Saturday night, 12-31-2022. As the clock strikes midnight (00:00) a minute later on 01-01-2023, a series of promotions will take place. We wish Bob the very best in his retirement."

WSPY reported the retired deputy fire chief said he’s planning to spend his time with family.

In an interview with WCSJ, Wills spoke about his thoughts on retirement: "All I've known is work, so it's going to be a little different for me." He also discussed his introduction to the fire service, which happened, he said when he was about 6 years old. His grandfather introduced him to the fire service, and that was that. "He started in 1930; he left the fire service in 1973 and he introduced me at 6 years old to this business and I'll tell you what, even as a young lad, I was in the firehouse all the time."