Richard A. Roatch Sr., carpenter, business owner, and retired Abington fire chief, has died at 91

Richard A. Roatch Sr., 91, of Abington, carpenter, business owner, veteran, and celebrated retired chief of the Abington Fire Co., died Saturday, March 2, of congestive heart failure at his home.

A lifelong woodworker and carpenter, Chief Roatch established his own business in the late 1950s and worked for 40 years, hanging doors, building additions, and completing construction jobs of all kinds in and around Montgomery County. He had been president of the woodworking club as a student at Abington High School and later turned the garage at his home into a bustling workshop.

His other passion was the fire company. His father was a volunteer firefighter in Abington, and Chief Roatch officially joined the department when he was 20. He became assistant chief in 1960, served as chief from 1965 to 1993, and tutored hundreds of other firefighters as a demanding and popular instructor at the Montgomery County Fire Academy.

He was an expert on ropes, knots, and ladders, and spent a lot of time near burning rooftops. He led a countywide ladder instruction class for years, championed the development of fire training grounds, and pushed for improved building safety ordinances.

He was a longtime officer of the company’s relief association, and current firefighters said they still follow the procedures and traditions he established. As a lifetime member of the company, he spent 72 years volunteering 24/7, including weekends.

“He did not demand respect,” John Bothwell, another former Abington fire chief, said in a tribute. “If you knew him, of his knowledge, actions, and character, your respect for him came naturally. …He was a chief with visions.”

Chief Roatch was efficient and innovative, colleagues said. He focused on training and practice. They said he was a teacher as much as a chief.

He was adept at organization and collaboration, and he consulted with other chiefs often. The Morning Call of Allentown interviewed him in 1976 after Abington and other fire companies combined to win the top prize for presentation of equipment at the Allentown Fair. He told the newspaper: “Normally each company enters individually. This time, we took one truck from each company and entered as a township.”

He attended conferences and seminars about fire issues, and was a longtime member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. His achievements were recognized by the Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation and other groups, but he never sought a spotlight, family and friends said.

“His commitment to the fire service will forever live on through those he has trained and mentored,” his family said in a tribute.

Richard Andrew Roatch was born May 16, 1932, in Abington. He was a natural builder and a Boy Scout, and he graduated from Abington High School in 1950.

He served in the Navy from 1951 to 1955, mostly as a Seabee with construction battalions in Cuba and Africa. He attended carpentry classes at the Ogontz campus of Pennsylvania State University for a while and worked for a construction company in North Wales before opening his own business.

He met Sandy Hibbs through mutual friends, and they married in 1965, and had sons Richard Jr. and David.

Chief Roatch and his wife traveled the country and camped in every state except Hawaii and Alaska. He followed the Eagles and Phillies closely, and spent hours in his workshop perfecting his projects.

He could be both serious and funny, his family said. He was a good listener and routinely fair, and he was often called upon to settle minor squabbles at the firehouse. “He was such a nice and likable man,” a friend said in a Facebook tribute.

He ate celery and peanut butter for lunch at the firehouse, and his predictable responses to news of all kinds were: “How about that” and “How nice.”

His son Richard said: “He was very caring.” His wife said: “He had an interest in everything. He loved his kids and was a good man. He was a friend to all.”

In addition to his wife and sons, Chief Roatch is survived by two grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and other relatives. A brother died earlier.

Services were held March 16.

Donations in his name may be made to the Abington Fire Company Relief Association, 1920 Horace Ave., Abington, Pa. 19001; and Jefferson Health at Home by Bayada, 225 Newtown Rd., Suite 300, Warminster, Pa. 18974.