Former fire chief served Ligonier community

John Vucina of Ligonier Township was a man who served his country during a time of war and served his community for more than 60 years as a member of his local fire department.

He left Ligonier High School in his junior year to enlist in the Army during World War II. He served in France and Germany in the latter stages of the war, said his daughter, Anna M. Stufft of Ligonier.

Sixty-three years ago, he joined the Waterford Volunteer Fire Department in Ligonier Township and has remained active ever since, serving as chief from 1980 to 1982.

“He was constantly at the fire hall. He was well respected,” his daughter said. He was a member and past president of the Westmoreland County Fire Chiefs Association.

He was so dedicated, in fact, that even when his eyesight worsened and he had to give up driving, he drove a golf cart from his home to the nearby Waterford Fire Hall this spring to help with the Lenten fish fries, Stufft said.

John Vucina died Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, at the Bethlen Home in Ligonier. He was 92.

He was born Feb. 13, 1927, at home in the Longbridge section of Ligonier Township, the son of the late Peter J. and Barbara M. Zidaric Vucina.

After serving in Europe, Mr. Vucina worked for the former Latrobe Steel Co. for 30 years but hardly rested when he retired.

He worked another 15 years as a park ranger at Linn Run State Park, where he helped maintain a 35-mile stretch of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail through Forbes State Forest. He used his skills as a stonemason, which he learned from his father, to build a fountain along the trail, his daughter said.

As a Waterford firefighter, he visited the schools in the Ligonier Valley every October, which is Fire Prevention Month. He wore a costume, with a mask and a shirt, portraying Sparky The Fire Dog, to promote fire prevention awareness to the children, she said.

“He was really into it. He taught them to ‘stop, drop and roll,’ ” she said.

Mr. Vucina enjoyed training new firefighters at Saint Vincent College.

He built fire truck bookcases for the Ligonier Valley Library and several elementary schools.

With the help of his daughter, Sharon V. Seidel of Johnstown, he was refinishing an antique 1930 fire wagon in his final days, Stufft said.

Mr. Vucina loved square dancing with his wife of 71 years, Nancy Marie (Shaulis) Vucina. They were members of a local square dance club and traveled to dances throughout the county. She made matching costumes for them.

He was passionate about Pennsylvania trains and was a member of the Ligonier Valley Railroad Association. He filled a notebook with information on the restored Shay train engine that moved timber at Linn Run State Park. The notebook is on display at the ranger station.

In addition to his wife and daughters, Mr. Vucina is survived by daughter Frances L. Gamble of Ligonier; a sister; a brother; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

A blessing service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Snyder Funeral Home Inc., 402 E. Church St., Ligonier. Private interment will be in Menoher Memorial Park.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Waterford Volunteer Fire Department Station No. 44, 44 Firehall Road, Ligonier, PA 15658, or a charity of one’s choice.