The Homewood Fire Department, the Village of Homewood, and the Homewood community are mourning the loss of former Homewood Fire Chief Raymond J. Presnak, who died on Sunday, September 18.
Presnak, 70, served the Homewood Fire Department and community for more than 30 years before retiring as fire chief and paramedic in 2006. Presnak was one of the first certified paramedics who served the Homewood community.
“I knew Ray for over 30 years. He did amazing things for the Homewood Fire Department during his tenure,” Fire Chief Robert Grabowski said. “The most substantial effect of his tenure as fire chief was the design and creation of the current training center, which was later named after Brian Carey, Homewood’s fallen firefighter.”
The training site consists of three buildings, one for firefighter training simulations, one that services the combined use of police, fire and public works storage and a third that serves as a classroom and includes a virtual reality simulator for the police department, Grabowski said.
“The classroom was dedicated in Ray’s name in 2017,” he said.
Presnak worked construction as a union electrician and glazer. In his spare time, he was a very active member at Parkview Christian Church. He worked at Sunrise Senior Living in Flossmoor as a maintenance coordinator.
On Friday, Sept. 23, the public is invited to a viewing at Tews-Ryan Funeral Home located at 18230 Dixie Highway in Homewood from 2 to 8 p.m.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 10 a.m. at Parkview Christian Church Chapel located at 11100 Orland Parkway in Orland Park. The chapel is located on the east side of the parking lot.