By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


A ceremony this weekend will honor the life and service of a longtime local fire chief.

A memorial service for retired Unadilla Township Fire Chief Mark Schroeder will be held at Unadilla Fire Department Station 7, 116 Main St, Gregory, on Sunday. Chief Schroeder spent 37 years in the fire service, all of it in Unadilla Township. He served 21 of those years as the fire chief, before retiring in February of 2020.

Chief Schroeder passed away on Monday, March 15th with family, friends, and department members by his side. Visitation on Sunday will be from 12 to 2pm, with an Emergency Service Uniformed Pass Through at 1:30pm. Services start at 2pm, with Pastor Dan Miller of the Gregory Community Church, presiding.

Following the service, Chief Schroeder will be laid to rest at the Plainfield Cemetery where a small graveside service will be performed along with Chief Schroeder’s Last Call, the Ringing of the Bell, and Taps.