{"id":87715,"date":"2026-06-19T11:33:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T11:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/87715\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T11:33:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T11:33:08","slug":"third-generation-lake-geneva-firefighter-prepares-to-honor-late-fathers-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/87715\/","title":{"rendered":"Third-generation Lake Geneva firefighter prepares to honor late father’s service"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAKE GENEVA \u2014 Lake Geneva Fire Department Deputy Chief Dan Derrick lived a long life dedicated to saving lives. He passed away last month at 83 years old,<\/a> but his son Ryan will continue the family legacy at the firehouse.<\/p>\n

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Lake Geneva Deputy Fire Chief Dan Derrick alongside his son, Captain Ryan Derrick.<\/p>\n

“I spent every day with my parents,” said Ryan Derrick, who is a captain with the Lake Geneva Fire Department. “Whenever he’d leave, I’d give him a hug and say goodbye. He’d always say, ‘You made me proud.'”<\/p>\n

Deputy Chief Dan Derrick served with the Lake Geneva Fire Department for 54 years on top of operating his family’s namesake funeral home.<\/p>\n

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Lake Geneva Deputy Fire Chief Dan Derrick passed away after 54 years of service.<\/p>\n

His funeral procession Saturday afternoon will travel from the Derrick funeral home through downtown Lake Geneva to his final resting place at Oak Hill Cemetery.<\/p>\n

“What more can you ask for?” Ryan Derrick said. “It’s dignity, honor, and respect. He deserves it.”<\/p>\n

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Lake Geneva Deputy Fire Chief Dan Derrick passed away after 54 years of service.<\/p>\n

Lake Geneva Fire Chief John Peters said Deputy Chief Derrick is more than worthy of the final salute.<\/p>\n

“I can never say thank you enough,” Peters said. “I learned a lot from him not just as a fire chief but as a person, so it is personal.”<\/p>\n

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TMJ4<\/p>\n

Lake Geneva Fire Chief John Peters wears a black band over his badge in memory of Deputy Chief Dan Derrick.<\/p>\n

The Derrick family has more than a hundred years of combined service with the Lake Geneva Fire Department. Ryan has served for 25 years and Dan’s father Tom Derrick served for 50 years, including a stint as fire chief.<\/p>\n

Ryan says the kind words he has heard about his father after his death has made him even more motivated to put on the uniform.<\/p>\n

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The Lake Geneva Fire Department.<\/p>\n

“A good friend of mine posted how her mom was having a heart attack and the first one in the door was Dan Derrick,” Ryan said. “The number of stories I have heard in the past month have been unbelievable.”<\/p>\n

The funeral procession for Deputy Chief Derrick will start at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday. It will travel up Center Street between Flat Iron Park and Marshall Street, where it will pass the Lake Geneva Fire Station on the way to Oak Hill Cemetery.<\/p>\n

Let’s talk:<\/p>\n

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