Fire fighting legend, veteran of the Pacific War, dies aged
Fyrfighter sends in more sad news. Retired Boston Fire Department Commissioner and Chief of Department Leo Stapleton has died at age 93 on Monday. Like most of his generation, his first call to serve was to Uncle Sam. His obituary says he was a veteran of the Navy and served in the Pacific Theater. They list his years of service from 1944 to 1946. Doing the math that means he enlisted when he was either 16 or 17. He was part of Task Force 58 and saw action at Okinawa and took part in the bombing of the Japanese home islands.
After the war, Leo joined the Boston Fire Department in 1951. The south Boston native’s father was named Chief of Department that same year. Leo would eventually rise to lead the department from 1984 until his retirement in 1991. He has two sons who followed him into the fire service as well.
Leo was preceded in death by his wife Doris. He is survived by five children, 13 grandchildren (if I counted right), and 17 great grandchildren.
In retirement, Leo continued to work diligently in support of firefighting. He was a prolific writer, writing a dozen books on his 39 years with the fire department.
On the topic of death, during a 1990 interview, Chief Stapleton said, “I guess the best way to explain it is, the way I look at death, I believe your soul leaves your body. I’m not a very religious person. I’m not very spiritual. But I really believe there is a soul and there is your body. I always felt, when I’ve looked upon a body, that the suffering for this soul has ended.”
Godspeed to the soul of Commissioner Stapleton as his suffering is now over.
Category: First Responders, Guest Link, Navy, We Remember
Great post.
Rest well, Chief.
Rest Well
Salute Chief
Thank you for all of your service
Fair winds and following seas, Chief Stapleton.
Rest in peace Chief Stapleton. God be with your family.
Thanks Mason
I was lucky enough to meet Commish Stapleton a number of times, and had him sign a number of his books. They cover all the positions he held, from a probie to Commissioner, and are a great read, and an inside look into the Boston Fire Department. He was always very humble and willing to talk, and at the time I was a dumbass teenage volunteer firefighter, and he still took the time.
He will be missed.
I gotta say, Fyr, that did my heart some good reading that. Over the last few years, my department’s leadership has been increasingly filled with self-serving, two-faced assholes who talk a big game about honor, professionalism, and integrity while displaying none whatsoever. Being third-gen and having pretty much grown up in the fire service, and grown up believing in all of those things, you can imagine how well I’ve taken seeing that. I dunno, maybe it was always like that and I just couldn’t see it until I made captain.
But it did my heart a lot of good to read that Chief/Commish Stapleton really did embody those values. God bless him. I’ve worked for a few chiefs and captains over the years who were/are like that. Most of them have been run out by the current regime.
Sadly I’ve been through similar TOW, and I’m third Gen too, so I know exactly what you mean.. Yeah, he was very cool to talk to..
On a related note, I found out about his passing from Chief Rick Lasky, I was in the Company Officer Academy that he and Chief Salka were teaching.. Talking of a couple other guys that truly get it..
Unfortunately I’ve had to warn several new firefighters not to buy the unit chief’s bullshit about how much he allegedly cares, because he has demonstrated through multiple fatalities, including a suicide, that his favorite thing in the whole wide world is a good funeral, the more publicized the better. I could go on for hours, but it’s just depressing.
I’m sorry brother, that sucks! If you’re ever in Colorado, gimme a yell, and I’ll buy the first round.. We’ve got a few legends we can toast..
Rest Easy, Dear Chief. You’ve earned it several times over.
RIP “Jake” Chief Stapleton.
The incident is clear and all units released, Chief. Return to quarters and rest well. I hope I get to see you there someday.
Dispatch to all units..
Transmitting Signal 5-5-5-5
Commissioner Leo D. Stapelton
E.O.W 4-26-2021
Godspeed and Rest Easy, Good Sir! Thank You for all of your Service to our Country. We know that Chief made Heaven, the Devil would of been afraid that Chief would have peed on the fires of Hell and put them out.
Rest easy, Chief. Others now have the watch.