Former Libertyville deputy fire chief dies

Giles Hubbard was a devoted family man who also loved being a Libertyville firefighter, his son said Monday.

Hubbard, a lifelong Libertyville resident, died Saturday at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. He was 85.

He was a 1943 graduate of Libertyville High School, and was a carpenter by trade, working for his father with H.W. Hubbard Construction and later Gorsline Construction.

But, his true passion was the Libertyville Fire Department, joining their ranks as a firefighter in 1950. He worked for the department for 29 years before retiring as deputy chief in 1979.

His son, Robert, said his father was a devoted family man who deeply cared for the department and its firefighters.

“He was part of the four generations of firemen that served,” Robert Hubbard said. “His grandfather was a fireman, I was a fireman and his grandson serves as a fireman now.”

Robert Hubbard said his father helped battle the Hawthorn Melody Farm fire in the 1970s, as well as numerous other blazes in Libertyville.

“But, together, with my brother Denny, we won the three-man hook up at the Lake County Fireman’s Convention in 1976,” Robert Hubbard said. “He was really proud of that.”

Giles Hubbard was also a member of the Lake County Fire Chief’s Association, and he enjoyed golf and crafts, family members said.

Visitation is 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, at Burnett-Dane Funeral Home Ltd., 120 W. Park Ave. Libertyville. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at United Methodist Church, 429 Brainerd Ave., Libertyville. Interment will follow in Lakeside Cemetery.