Ronald A. Winterstein, 58, a former Tinley Park fire chief and a 30-year member of the department when he retired in 1996, died Wednesday, June 21, in Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, of complications related to a lung transplant he underwent last month. Chief Winterstein was fatherly and good at explaining instructions, and for many years was in charge of training at the all-volunteer Fire Department. He sold heavy construction equipment used for making large buildings, roadwork and bridges from 1966 until last month, most recently in the Frankfort office of Carroll Distributing and Construction. But he also liked helping people and had volunteered with the Tinley Park Fire Department since 1966, just after serving in the Army from 1962 to 1965. “That’s just the kind of person he was,” his wife, Deanne, said. “He never gave a special reason why, he just always wanted to help someone else if he could.” His hobby was woodworking, and he gave away the things he made, including delicate craft work such as spindles for family members’ rocking chairs, toy trucks and front-end loaders that looked like the one he worked around during the day. (“A fire engine, of course, was one of them,” said his wife.) One of the last things he accomplished before retiring was the creation of the department’s first training tower. Other survivors include two daughters, Donna Beran and Cynthia Palmer; his mother, Ada Winterstein; three brothers, James, Jerry and Charles; and four grandchildren. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday in Trinity Lutheran Church, 159th Street and Oak Park Avenue, Tinley Park. A funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. in the church.
