A memorial procession with police escort will be part of the March 22 service for retired South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Lt. Loyd McCallister, who died Feb. 22 after an 11-year job-related cancer battle.
The service will be at noon Saturday at Christian Life Center, 1780 Lincoln Ave. SE in Port Orchard. It will be live-streamed on the SKFR Facebook page.
McCallister began his 25-year career at SKFR in 1989 as a firefighter-paramedic. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1994. An SKFR news release says he was very stoic but joyful and took pride in well-trained firefighters and clean apparatus. He was instrumental in bringing extrication equipment to SKFR and was well ahead of the curve when it came to rescue. He was a master at compiling training videos on VHS tapes.
In 2014, McCallister had to medically retire due to cancer.
“Loyd was tough when the job demanded it, yet always caring and supportive to those around him,” SKFR chief Jeff Faucett says in the release. “His leadership left a lasting impact on our agency, and his legacy of service will continue to inspire us. His hard-fought battle with job-related cancer is a somber reminder of the risks firefighters face every day. In his honor, we reaffirm our commitment to cancer awareness and prevention, ensuring that his struggle was not in vain.”
A notice from the family says McCallister was born Sept. 18, 1957 in Porterville, CA, the youngest of six children. He graduated from Chelan High School.
Called “Lt. Mac” by his peers, he was skilled with ropes and rescue and was looked to as the department expert prior to formation of the County Technical Rescue Team. Even after retirement, he was still best at organizing, be it monthly retired firefighter breakfasts or the annual retiree ”Camporee.” He and wife Diana were married Feb. 7, 2023. They spent the last years of his life doing what they loved the most, camping.
“As we gather to honor his life and sacrifice, we are reminded of the words often shared among firefighters, ‘when a firefighter falls, an entire community mourns.’”
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Kitsap Firefighters Benevolent Fund in his memory. (www.kffbf.org)
Procession route
SKFR and outside agency apparatus with police escort will depart Station 17 at 7990 McCormick Woods Dr SE at 10:30 a.m. Units will head north on Glenwood Road SW and proceed onto Sidney Road SW (left). The procession will meet up with other apparatus on Sidney then continue along Pottery Avenue.
At the roundabout, proceed east (right) onto Tremont Street. The procession will stop at Station 31 as McCallister’s engine turns into the parking lot and proceeds through the apparatus bay. The procession will continue along SE Lund Avenue and turn left on Bethel Avenue before veering right onto Mitchell Road SE and turning right onto Lincoln Ave SE. The procession will arrive at Christian Life Center at approximately 11 a.m.
