Badge a symbol of public service to chief’s family

A bit of local history can be found in the Walbridge home of 4-year-old Eddie Kolanko.
The badge worn by his great-grandfather, Larry W. Wojnar, who was the fire chief for the City of Rossford for 26 years, was presented to Wojnar’s family last month.
Rossford mayor Neil MacKinnon and Josh Drouard, the current fire chief, made the presentation.
In all, Wojnar served on the fire department for 37 years. When he passed away in 1978, city officials approached his family about donating his badge to the city as a keepsake and Wojnar’s widow, Mary, agreed. It was displayed at the fire station since then.
Forty four years later, the badge was returned during a recent meeting of city council.
Wojnar’s grandson, Ed Kolanko, the mayor of Walbridge, said the badge represents the ideal of public service.
“Anybody I’d run into who’d known my grandfather talked very highly of him,” Kolanko said. “He loved his job and family and he loved his city. It showed every day. He was committed to the city and fire department.”
The chief’s wife was a long-time employee of Eagle Point Elementary School in Rossford.
The badge is currently on display in the bedroom of Wojnar’s great-grandson, Eddie. A patch worn by members of the Rossford Fire Department was presented to great-granddaughter, Gracie, 2.
Wojnar’s son, also named Larry, is a resident of Rossford, and helped arrange returning the badge to the family.
The badge is affixed to a plaque recognizing chief Wojnar for his years of service.
Ed Kolanko has memories of riding on the department’s fire trucks during parades and visiting the fire station.
“It might spur a future public servant,” mayor Kolanko said of the badge. “We’re all called to serve and we need to create more positivity in our society and show public service is good and needed. Keeping this badge in the family is a reminder of that.”