Wadsworth firefighter dies, remembered by community

WADSWORTH — Wadsworth firefighter Andy Hontert left an everlasting mark in his home city and across nearby communities. The 59-year-old died of cancer Saturday afternoon. He was diagnosed in February. Twenty-year Wadsworth advanced EMT Regina Kantorik and her husband, department firefighter Joseph Kantorik, served as Hontert's primary caregivers during his final months. Regina said it was hard to describe the tightly knit bond that formed over time between Hontert and her family. "He was a great man," she said. "He may have never married or had children but he helped raise mine. The firehouse was his wife and the fire trucks were his babies." "Andy was also our family's secret Santa for all those years," Regina added. "I didn't get a longevity check from the city and Andy didn't think that was fair. Every year, he split his check with me so I could buy Christmas presents for our eight children. He came to every birthday party and every family get together. He was just family." A proclamation retiring Hontert's department number, 27, and making him an honorary Wadsworth fire officer was delivered to him in person earlier this month before those measures were passed unanimously by City Council. Hontert served Wadsworth as a firefighter and fleet mechanic for 40 years. His father, Richard Hontert, was Wadsworth fire chief from 1987 to 2002 and started with the department in 1957. "There's the right way to do something, the wrong way to do something, and the Andy way to do something," Regina said. "The Andy way is the right way but above and beyond in every single aspect. That's just the way he did things every single day and it's the way he taught me to do things. He was also always so patient in teaching those things." Regina and her husband both started with Wadsworth fire in 2001 and married three years later. On Sunday, Regina recalled Hontert's fire truck serving as her wedding limo. "He was just always there for us in any way you can imagine," she said. "Right away, we knew what to do when it was our turn to help him. I took the day shift and Joseph took the night shift. He's our family and family take care of each other." Public displays honoring the younger Hontert did not end in Wadsworth as numbers were also retired at Union County's Union Township and Leesburg Township fire departments as well as at Stark County's North Lawrence fire department. Red porch lights in support of Hontert have been illuminating Wadsworth at night since news of his condition was made known. That accompanied a truck parade in front of his home organized by local safety forces. "I know he appreciated what had been going on around town," Regina said. "This community is going to miss a great, great man. Everything is just a little raw for us right now and we're trying to take a breath." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at 330-721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.