Paintertown man volunteered 44 years at fire department
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Eric List could be sitting at Christmas dinner, but if a fire call came in he was there.
Volunteering at the Paintertown Volunteer Fire Company for 44 years, “his life revolved around the fire department,” his wife Rene List said, adding that he loved the act of firefighting and helping the community.
Rene List said her husband started volunteering at the station when he was 12. According to the Paintertown company’s Facebook page, he spent about 24 years as an officer, 10 years as president and two years as chief.
“Eric was a fundamental part of making our department what it is today,” the post reads. “Eric will be missed by many.”
Mr. Eric L. List, 56, of Paintertown died Monday, Aug. 19, 2019 at his home.
Born in Wilkinsburg June 12, 1963, he was the son of Janet E. List and late Louis J. List.
Rene List said she met her husband after graduating from high school when mutual friends introduced them. Rene List, who graduated from Norwin, and Mr. List, who graduated from Penn Trafford, married two years later, spending 37 years together.
“He was just my best friend,” Rene List said. “We’ve done everything together. We were inseparable pretty much, so it’s a big loss.”
Mr. List spent 30 years driving tractor trailer for Pitt-Ohio Trucking and was part of the Army Reserves Unit 429, the former Greensburg engineering unit. There he worked as a heavy machine operator.
In his free time Mr. List enjoyed golfing, hunting and traveling to Lake Tahoe and the Grand Canyon.
His son Joshua List said one of his favorite memories with his dad was when he took him out hunting for the first time when he was 9.
“He had a love for anything outdoorsy,” Rene List said. “Him and his buddy in December, January, as long as there wasn’t snow on the course, they were out golfing.”
Mr. List also was a member of Shidle Lodge No. 601, Free and Accepted Masons in Irwin, and Irwin’s Moose Lodge 236.
In addition to his wife and son, he is survived by his daughter Jamie Schade and five grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Friday at the Paintertown Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1001 Government Rd., Irwin. Interment will follow in Union Cemetery.
Contributions can be made to the Paintertown Volunteer Fire Company, 1010 Tray Rd., Irwin, or the Paintertown Lutheran Church.