Schaumburg firefighter remembered by friends, fellows

Dozens of uniformed firefighters and police officers from Schaumburg turned out Thursday to honor the memory of a longtime fellow public servant.

David Grandt, a 30-year veteran of the fire department, died in a motorcycle crash near Indianapolis two weeks ago.

His wife Christine, who was seriously injured in the crash, attended the funeral in a wheelchair, her injured legs propped up in front of her.

A school nurse for Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54, she was recently moved from an Indiana hospital to the Alexian Brothers Medical Center rehabilitation center in Elk Grove Village.

Mass was held at Schaumburg's Church of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church, whose sanctuary and parking lot were filled with family, friends and fellow firefighters.

Tears were shed by women and men alike as the poignant and bittersweet lyrics of the James Blunt song "Farewell My Lover" were played.

Mass was said by Pastor Emeritus George Kane, whose Gospel reading noted Christ's words, "I come not to be served, but to serve."

"Life, that's what Dave was all about," Kane said. "He was a son and a husband and a father. And he served life as a firefighter."

Grandt had been a paid-on-call firefighter for Schaumburg before being sworn in as a full-time employee in 1977. He became a paramedic later that year.

In recent years, he'd served as the department's emergency medical services coordinator and a member of the fire investigation team.

Grandt had recently retired as a lieutenant but remained with the department in a civilian role.

"He will live on in you in subtle ways," Kane said to family members present. "I hope you're consoled by the large number of people that came last night and are present here today. In our own fumbling ways, we say we understand your pain and will be there for you."

Schaumburg Fire Chief David Schumann explained the significance of ringing bells for a firefighter's life. It is the bell that first calls a firefighter to put his life on the line for his fellow man. But three tolls signal the return to quarters once the fire is out.

A silver bell was rung three times to close the funeral service and mark Grandt's accomplishments.

The funeral procession to St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery in Palatine was led by a police motorcycle escort and accompanied by a fire engine laden with flowers and draped with black and purple bunting.