Mary Ann Township chief called pillar of firehouse
Randy Miner, 57, dies due to COVID complications
Having spent nearly 20 years as a firefighter for Mary Ann Township and with over two years as its fire chief, firefighters agreed Chief Randy Miner was the pillar of the department.
Miner, 57, died this week due to COVID-19. The department said he's believed to have been exposed to the virus on duty. According to Assistant Fire Chief Keisha Amspaugh, Miner had served the department since 2002 and became chief at the beginning of 2019.
Amspaugh described Miner as a quiet and simple man, who was always teaching people even when he didn't realize he was.
“He always had a piece of advice. He never realized he was giving the advice, but he was,” Amspaugh said. “He would tell us ‘make a decision and stick with it' and I think about that all the time. If it's the wrong decision, learn from it. If it's the right decision, great job.”
Born in West Virginia, Amspaugh said Miner moved to the area and bought R & M Bakery in 1986. She said he got his EMT certification just because he wanted to help the community.
Capt. Jake Castle described Miner as soft-spoken, someone who enjoyed teaching someone new things and one who made sure someone had whatever they needed, whether it was a place to stay or gas in their car.
Castle laughed as he recalled Miner often saying something from behind his computer that were never expected, then turning around as if nothing had happened.
Both Amspaugh and Castle said they wouldn't be where they are today without Miner's influence on their lives.
“He's the first fire chief to believe in me as a leader,” Castle said.
Amspaugh said she wouldn't be the leader she is today without him.
“He's the first person I can say that, the only thing I ever wanted was for him to be proud of me...and now that he's gone, so many people have said, ‘Oh, he told me he was proud of you all the time,'” Amspaugh said. “I certainly would not be where I am in my profession and in my career - and even in my life (without him). He taught us so much about money and finances and investing. He was just ... he was the pillar of this place.”
Amspaugh said Miner's legacy will live on long after his death and Castle agreed, adding it wouldn't be an overstatement to say the way the department runs is because of Miner. He noted Miner was running many of the day-today operations of the firehouse before he became chief.
“His legacy is here and I think it's our job now to carry it on,” Amspaugh said. “But I think he raised us to be what he wanted us to be.”
Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later time. For more information about arrangements, visit the Mary Ann Township Fire Department Facebook page.