Stephen VanRavenswaay, a 1990 Wayland High School graduate has died in Orlando, Fla., where he served as an engineer/firefighter with the Orange County Fire Dept.
Stephen “Shakey” Vanravenswaay was diagnosed nearly two years ago with Stage IV pancreatic cancer and officially retired about a year ago.
Vanravenswaay, 44, was with Orange County Fire Rescue for 20 years.With help from Orange County Fire Rescue members, his family raised money through the web site GoFundMe
“The camaraderie, there’s nothing like it,” Vanravenswaay said in an Orlando Sentinel article a year ago. “I’ve seen it from the outside, but I’ve never had the opportunity to receive it. And receiving it, I can’t say enough about these people. They are a family.”
When he announced his retirement, he said, “… I realize it’s for the best. I hope that I put a lot of young firefighters on the right track and people think I did my job good and I was a good firefighter. Thanks everybody for being part of my life.”
Vanravenswaay’s fellow firefighters have been a constant help, mowing his lawn, picking up his shifts and cooking the occasional dinner.
Among his survivors are his wife, Lisa; and their two daughters, who are 16 and 19. Lisa Vanravenswaay took a leave from her job with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office to take care of him.
Vanravenswaay decided to become a firefighter after a stint with the Air Force in California. He spent two years with Volusia County Fire Rescue, then decided to move to a larger department. Orange County Fire Rescue was his first choice.
Early in his career, he got the nickname “Shakey” on a medical call, when his knee started shaking as he struggled to keep a restaurant cook who accidentally cut herself and fainted off the floor. Nobody in the Fire Department calls him anything else.
