'A fabric in this community': Freeport Fire Chief Brad Liggett made a life helping others
BELOIT, Wis. — Other people mattered to Freeport Fire Chief Brad Liggett.
That was the sentiment of those who knew him best and worked with him the last three decades.
“Brad saw possibilities in people,” wife Mary Liggett said. “He lived his life to serve and teach others.”
Mary said her husband’s innate passion to serve others was strengthened during the Gulf War when he was a U.S. Navy corpsman.
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He joined the fire department when he returned. He quickly became known as the first one to offer a hand when something needed to be fixed.
No matter where he was, Mary Liggett said, “anything that needed fixed, he’d help—even a toilet. ... He had a hard time saying, ‘no’ to anyone.
"He did these things because it was part of who he was. It was in his DNA, and he loved every bit of it. And he always did it with a cheese grin on his face.”
Liggett, 55, died Jan. 8 after a brief illness. He was laid to rest Saturday.
More than 300 people, along with members of the Freeport and Beloit fire departments, attended Liggett’s funeral at Central Christian Church in Beloit.
Liggett became Freeport’s fire chief in 2019 after serving as the chief of the City of Beloit Fire Department for 16 years. Starting his firefighting career in 1989, he served as a paramedic, motor pump operator, lieutenant, assistant chief and emergency manger in Beloit before he was named chief in 2003.
“He was a fabric in this community,” Beloit Fire Chief Daniel Pease said. “There wasn’t an organization he wasn’t involved with or wasn’t passionate about. He was a people person. There wasn’t anyone that Brad couldn’t befriend or help.”
Interim Freeport Fire Chief Scott Stykel said he learned a lot from Liggett the last couple years.
He believed in people, Stykel said. He believed everyone had strengths, and everyone could be a leader.
“He believed that every person could lead, whether you were the newest firefighter, or you’d been there 25 years,” Stykel said. “You had ownership, and leadership was a responsibility for all."
Liggett was as a member of a host of organizations outside of his role as a firefighter.
In Freeport, he was active with the Salvation Army, the Lincoln Douglas Kiwanis Club and the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association.
Elsewhere, he chaired the Salvation Army board in Beloit, volunteered for Meals on Wheels and was active in both PTA and VetsRoll.
He was the father of five, had two step-children, 11 grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.
“Brad left an influence," Stykel said, "an indelible one on two cities.”
Jim Hagerty is a freelance correspondent.
This article originally appeared on Journal Standard: Freeport Fire Chief Brad Liggett made a life of helping others
