A Tale of Two Chiefs

Area fire departments took over Deer Park emergencies while the Deer Park Fire Department led the funeral procession to Calvary Cemetery. Humpal's Repair Shop is in the background. Firemen from neighboring communities also paid their respects on this day.

The Deer Park Fire Department is in Clear Lake paying a final tribute to Al Humpal. Shown are the trucks in front of St. John's Catholic Church.

A Tale of Two Chiefs from Deer Park and New Richmond
Al Humpal - Deer Park
Francis Otto - New Richmond

December 27, 2004 was a sad day for Deer Park as the village said good bye to Al Humpal, a person who seemed to find his niche in community service work from the 1940's on. Al became well known as an International Harvester mechanic of Farmall tractors, a line of work he stayed with for most of his work life. But his time in community affairs over-shadowed most every other endeavor.

One of the first community positions held was the Village Constable, a job that would be similar to today's community service officer in larger cities. His involvement in the community eventually settled in as a fireman and then fire chief, a tenure in the Deer Park Fire Department lasting 64 years. In addition to being the chief for decades Al was involved in the Lions club, the modern day replacement of the Deer Park Booster Club. If Al wasn't out on a fire call in the wee hours of the morning, he might be working late at night on a Christmas project for the village after work.

It may sound like Al was a type 'A' person but a better definition would be a type "FFW" (Family-Fun-Work) person. Fires do have an element of fun/excitement in them and so do some community projects. If one happened to be working on a project with Al, then they were also having fun too. The work might not be at the most comfortable hour, it might be wet, it might be hot or cold but everyone had fun when working with Al.

Al was also an avid deer hunter, fisherman and outdoor enthusiast but was more of an avid family-type of guy. At his funeral his grandson-in-law, Tim Sellner, lamented that "Al was a relationship guy", "he's the guy who cared" and when he was present, "Al just popped out". Tim continued saying Al was very interested in his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, his relatives noting that he would be asking his youngest relatives "what's going on", and it never failed.

Tim noted the large crowd at the funeral and thanked the Deer Park community for supporting the family.

But the only real difference between Al's relatives and his friends was that he was with his relatives more. He treated everyone like his relative and that is probably what set Al apart from the crowd, why he "popped out" and why they say there was "only one Al Humpal".

Honorary casketbearers included members of the Deer Park Lions Club and Deer Park Fire Department.

Thursday was a moment reminiscent of “It’s a Wonderful Life. ” A packed sanctuary at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church celebrated the life of Francis Otto, whose kind heart and giving spirit touched the entire community for decades. Mourners agreed that Otto really did have a wonderful life, and New Richmond was a better place because of the way he lived that life.

Otto served 38 years on the New Richmond Fire Department. He was elected assistant chief in 1962 and became chief in 1991. He retired Sept. 1, 1996 from the department. In an interview with the New Richmond News in 1996, Otto recalled many big fires he helped extinguish. Central Lumber and Lundee’s Super Market were two big blazes in the 1960s. Otto said he loved the feeling of being on call in case of emergencies. “If you help someone else, it’s a good feeling,” Otto told the News.

He also noted that he considered his fellow firefighters as family. “Our former chief made it a family affair,” he said in 1996. “Even today, we treat each other like brothers and sisters.” Many of his fellow firefighters attended the Thursday funeral, sitting behind the Otto family in support.

Following the Mass of Christian Burial, the uniformed firefighters and the American Legion Honor Guard lined the sidewalks outside the church as the casket was carried out. The casket was hoisted atop a New Richmond fire truck. A long processional of trucks, cars and ambulances snaked its way through the city, including a trip down Knowles Avenue with flashing emergency lights leading the way.

Current New Richmond Fire Chief Jim VanderWyst rode with Otto on fire calls for about 15 years. In an interview, VanderWyst said Otto was a strong leader while fighting fires, but a wonderful human being off-duty. “He didn’t mess around on duty, and he was honest and straight forward,” he said. “Off-duty, he was the warmest-hearted guy I’ve ever met in my entire life.”

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