Shelby Township Fire Chief Gene Shepherd Dies

Shelby Township Fire Chief Gene Shepherd died Monday evening at his home after a lenghty battle with cancer. Shepherd was 56 years old.

He is survived by two adult children and six grandchildren.

and had undergone a cadaver bone transplant, numerous rounds of radiation and chemotherapy. Despite that, he remained on the job with the .

Several weeks ago, he was admitted to a local hospital, and then placed on hospice care at his Sterling Heights home. Fire officials told Patch he was surrounded by his family, including his brother-in-law and Shelby Fire Medic Andrew Rae, when he died around 10 p.m.

“In life in general: you start something and try to get through it. I don’t like leaving things open ended,” he told Shelby-Utica Patch last month.

Battalion Chief Douglas Miller said that Shepherd had made arrangements for his funeral and left several instructions for his crew.

"He had pre-planned everything. He had a book of what he wanted and didn’t," said Miller.

In Miller's office Tuesday afternoon, representatives from the Macomb County Chief’s Association's Funeral Committee, which included Utica Fire Chief Kevin Wilseck, who was a former Shelby firefighter, gathered at the Shelby Fire Station to review details of the funeral.

Visitation will be held at on 25 Mile and Van Dyke Saturday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. A special Pass and Review of all the department's firefighters and neighboring firemen will be held at the funeral home at 5 p.m. Sunday.

On Monday, a memorial Mass will be at Cornerstone Baptist Church located at 12 Mile Road in Roseville at 11 a.m. Lie in State will begin at 10 a.m.

A procession from the church to Shepherd's final resting place, Christian Memorial Cemetery in Rochester, will follow.

Shelby Township Fire Marshall Edward Vojtush, the next in command, will take over Shepherd’s duties until the township appoints a permanent or interim chief.

NOTE: This story was updated May 15 at 3:15 p.m. to add additional details about the funeral services.