DIXFIELD — Town residents woke this week to find something missing from their regular mornings at Towle’s Corner Store in Dixfield.
Lifelong resident and 40-year Dixfield volunteer firefighter, Tim Frost, died unexpectedly Sept. 7. Frost was a common figure around Dixfield square, giving a smile and wave to anyone passing by.
“I think everyone in town knew who Tim was,” said Montell “Bummy” Kennedy, a longtime friend and Dixfield volunteer firefighter. “He was never an inside person, he was just always there waving to everyone on the street.”
Employees at Towle’s expressed thoughts of fondness for a man who greeted them with a smile on a daily basis.
“We use to joke and call him ‘Governor’ when he came into the store,” employee Rae Coulombe said. “It’s hard to sum up who Tim was, he was just a great man.”
Frost, who began volunteering at the fire department in Oct. 1970, was remembered as a loyal and accountable member of the department.
“He was always there, whether it was for a fire call, an open house, or a fundraiser, he always gave his best effort to help,” Dixfield Fire Chief Scott Dennett said.
Frost was honored as the department’s Firefighter of the Year in 2004. The department is planning on retiring his unit number, No. 13, in the near future.
The Dixfield Fireman’s Relief Auxiliary is assisting the family with funeral arrangements. The Fire Department is gathering at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 15 at the fire station on Main Street and will follow Engine No. 2, a 1952 Mack firetruck carrying Frost’s remains, to Greenwood Cemetery on Weld Street.
“This is what we will consider his final ride,” Jason Hyde, Dixfield Fire Captain said.
A reception will follow shortly after services at the Dixfield Fire Station for anyone wanting to share memories of Frost.
“The whole town is going to miss him because he was always around and ready to help, wherever help was needed,” said friend Doug Swan.
A former town resident, Kristy Grasruck, remembered Frost from her childhood.
“I remember 20 years ago when my family and I moved to Dixfield he would sit in town and wave and talk to everyone that went by,” Grasruck said. “My mom still lives in town and he still waved to me every time he saw me. I didn’t really know him well but I know he was a wonderful person who made lots of people smile with that one wave.”
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- Tim Frost, who volunteered as a firefighter with the Dixfield Fire Department for more than 40 years, passed away on Sept. 7. Frost was considered an institution around Dixfield. “He was always there, ready do whatever he could to help around town.” said Montell “Bummy” Kennedy, a friend and Dixfield volunteer firefighter.
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- Tim Frost’s firefighter’s gear sits in front of a Dixfield fire engine on Monday. Frost, a 40-year volunteer firefighter, passed away on Sept. 7. The Dixfield Fire Department will gather at the fire station on Thursday, Sept. 15, to carry Frost’s remains on a 1952 Mack Fire Engine to Greenwood Cemetery on Weld Street. The department also has plans to retire Frost’s number 13.
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