POULSBO — Joseph Richard Vlach was not one to slow down.

At age 77, he was in his 33rd year as a volunteer firefighter and was training for the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic. He had served so long in the Coast Guard Reserve that the branch compelled him to retire. He worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Bangor for 42 years, retiring as a radiation safety officer. Once, he had a cardiac event while doing an inland firefighter training endurance test and, his son Joe Jr., said, “They had to hold him down to stop him from completing the test.”

“That was just how my dad was,” the son recalled. “He would never stop.”

Vlach was training for the STP when he was struck by a vehicle and killed July 2 on Highway 3. For his three decades of community service, Vlach was posthumously named Person of the Year at the Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala on Jan. 20, at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort.

Todd Tidball and Glenn Anderson presented the award to Vlach’s family at the gala.

“He was the kind of guy who would help out just about anybody, and that included a stranded passenger in Montana who was changing a tire, [or] elderly people who just needed a sign repaired or a tree removed,” Tidball said of Vlach. “On behalf of the community, we’re sorry for your loss. We’re glad that we could recognize him and recognize you for his work in volunteering.”

Accepting the award were Vlach’s wife, Cherie, sons Scott and Joe Jr., and their wives Lisa and Hollie.

“My dad didn’t have an off switch,” Joe Jr. said to the crowd. “For those of you who knew him, he could be a very great presence. If you wanted him there, he was always there.” He quipped, “And if you didn’t want him there, he was always there.”

“What inspired him to stay so active and do all the things that he did?” Tidball asked.

“Well, they have this thing called ADHD now,” the son replied, eliciting a hearty chuckle from the audience. “My dad definitely had that. He was always active.”

The elder Vlach impressed the inportance of volunteerism and community pride on his children when they were young, Joe Jr. said.

He told of how he and his siblings wanted to go to Disneyland, and their father directed them to first pick up aluminum cans that had been discarded near the roadway. ”When we get enough cans, we’ll go to Disneyland,’’ the father said.

Here was the lesson — “What he taught us was, ‘This is your community and you do whatever you can do to help make it better,’” the son said.

Joe Jr. said his dad wasn’t one to let his age hobble any of his pursuits.

“I’m sure he’s up there right now, looking at us, going ‘Why are you all dressed up? What’s going on? Let’s get some work done.’”

Other Gala Awards

Young Leader of the Year: Natalie Myers

Myers is Miss West Sound (and a former Miss Viking Fest) and has made suicide prevention and awareness her main focus. Myers has spoken to civic clubs and helped coordinate the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention Walk in Poulsbo.

“There’s a really big stigma about suicide, especially among not only students but parents,” she said. “It’s like they’re afraid if you talk about suicide, that kids are going to go out and commit [suicide], which is a very false statistic. Kids don’t realize that it’s not just the typical outsiders in the schools that are depressed and suicidal.”

Emerging Business of the Year: Vibe Coworks

Founded by Alanna and Marcel Imbach, Vibe Coworks is building a coworking space, where workers in creative and/or emerging businesses can work and interact with others.

“I’m a person who believes very strongly in having opportunity and options, and I think that Vibe has the possibility to offer that to this community,” Alanna Imbach said.

Organization of the Year: Viking Fest

2018 will be Viking Fest’s 50th year of celebrating Poulsbo’s Norwegian heritage. In addition to drawing thousands of visitors to the event, Viking Fest allows local nonprofits to earn money and promote their causes. Revenues from the event also help to provide $8,000 in scholarships annually. Viking Fest is also responsible for organizing the annual Poulsbo fireworks display on July 3.

Volunteer of the Year: Kerby Criss

Criss founded Kitsap Children’s Musical Theater in 2001 and has since volunteered more than 600 hours in the production of 56 performances. KCMT supports Fishline through donation drives and provides complimentary tickets to individuals unable to afford the cost of admittance.

“I want to go above and beyond and have a school of the arts,” Criss said. “We’re just beginning, baby.”

Business of the Year: Blue Heron Jewelry

Leo Fried founded Blue Heron Jewelry on Front Street in Poulsbo 29 years ago. Aside from being a jewelry retailers, Blue Heron Jewelry supports a variety of local causes like Rotary Club, Fishline, Viking Tour, Fish Park, and education programs for students in Poulsbo and on Bainbridge Island.

— Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. Contact him at ntwietmeyer@soundpublishing.com.

The Vlach family receives the Person of the Year Award on behalf of the late Joe Vlach during the 2018 Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce Gala. Nick Twietmeyer | Kitsap News Group.

Natalie Myers was named Young Leader of the Year during the 2018 Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce Gala. Nick Twietmeyer | Kitsap News Group.

The Vibe Coworks team pose for a photograph shortly after being named Emerging Business of the Year at the 2018 Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce Gala. Photo courtesy of Bill McDonald.