Life revolved around the Beverly Shores firehouse for Andrew Himan and his family, where he spent 54 years as a volunteer firefighter and 42 years as the chief.
The end of Himan’s watchful service to his community came on Saturday, Feb. 21. Himan, 76, a Beverly Shores area resident, died as a result of brain cancer, said his son Andrew “Andy” Himan Jr.
Himan is the longest serving fire chief in Porter County history, and if he doesn’t hold the Indiana state record for longevity as chief, he’s close to it, said his son, Andy, who was his father’s assistant chief and is now the acting chief for the Beverly Shores Volunteer Fire Department.
Up until two weeks ago, Himan was still conducting business as chief from home via his cellphone and email. He went out on his last fire call on Oct. 9 and attended his last meeting of the Beverly Shores Volunteer Fire Department in December, his son said.
“His commitment to the town, the department, the guys, was on the front burner,” Andy Himan said.
A native of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Himan joined the U.S. Army for two years of active duty after his graduation from Wheeling High School in Illinois.
Himan’s main career was as a structural steel draftsman. After he graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Himan was hired by American Bridge in Gary and rented a house with a school friend in Beverly Shores.
Beverly Shores was now his home and the fire service became his passion when he joined the town’s volunteer fire department 54 years ago. After he retired from MC Detailers as a structural steel draftsman, Himan spent about 15 years as a full-time firefighter for what is now the Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. steelworks in Burns Harbor.
“He never thought of himself. He would go into crazy situations,” Andy said about his father.
There was an occasion, back in the early 1980s, when he watched his father run through a blizzard and waist-deep snow drifts to the burning house of a neighbor.
Conditions were treacherous and the roads were impassable. Andy said his father couldn’t do much because the house was fully engulfed and he couldn’t get the fire equipment there. Nevertheless, he risked frostbite helping a neighbor any way he could.
Then there was the time when his father responded to a call and was met by the home’s owner, armed with a machete and intent on burning down his own house. Andrew Himan, at one point, also served with the Beverly Shores Police Department.
When Andrew Himan married Dianna Hughart 51 years ago, their wedding reception, naturally, was held at the Beverly Shores Fire Station.
All three of their sons, Andy, Jeremy and Stephen, spent time around their father at the fire station and joined the Beverly Shores volunteer fire force when they were still teenagers.
And all of Andrew’s three sons now have full-time careers as firefighters. Andy is a captain in the Portage Fire Department, where Jeremy serves as the deputy chief, and Stephen is a lieutenant with the Chesterton Fire Department.
Andrew Himan III, Andy’s son, joined the family business at age 17 with the Beverly Shores Volunteer Fire Department. He now also works as a full-time firefighter for the Portage Fire Department. where his father and uncle are supervisors.
Andy Himan said as the family processes the loss of their father and relives the many stories, they “truly realize how great of a man he was.”
“Growing up in the fire station and seeing it every day we grew up, not even really noticing what it was that he was doing. It was just Dad going on another call,” Andy Himan said. “His loss will truly be felt for years to come, and I definitely feel his presence every time I walk into the station.”
Jay Craig Jr. is Porter’s fire chief and he grew up much like the Himan boys, hanging around the fire station. His father, Lewis Craig, was the chief of the Porter Volunteer Fire Department for 27 years before he died in 2018.
“He reminds me a lot of my dad,” Craig said.
As the Porter chief, Craig said he would frequently cross paths with Himan, especially on calls to the Lake Michigan beachfront.
“He was very passionate about the fire service, always wanting to learn more,” Craig said.
Back before the education of firefighters became more organized, Himan was a founder and board member for the Duneland Fire School that periodically offered training sessions for local firefighters. He was also an original member of the Porter County Fire Association.
In addition to his wife, three sons and a grandson, Himan is also survived by two sisters, five other grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home, 517 Broadway, in Chesterton. The funeral ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Chesterton funeral home.
After the funeral service, there will be a processional to the Beverly Shores Fire Station for Himan’s ceremonial last call.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
