Ray Poparad, a
long-time member of the Burns Harbor Town Council and formerly Burns Harbor
Fire Chief, died at 4:30 a.m. today.
Fire Chief Bill
Arney confirmed his passing and spoke highly of Poparad as a public servant.
“Ray was a
long-time friend, 31 years, and my mentor,” Arney told the Chesterton
Tribune. “He taught me a lot about the fire service. It’s a huge loss to
the Fire Department and to the town. No one knows the town better than Ray
did. It’ll be hard to fill his shoes.”
“Ray was our rock,”
Police Chief Mike Heckman said. “He’s been here his entire life. He served
many years as Fire Chief and then as Town Council President. He was a good
man with a great heart. He will be sorely, sorely missed.”