Forrest Myler

Forrest B. Myler, a Toledo firefighter for nearly 30 years who retired as a deputy chief, died Monday in Hospice of Northwest Ohio, Perrysburg Township. He was 89.He had endocrine cancer, his wife, Ivy, said. Mr. Myler, most recently of Lambertville, joined the fire force in 1951 and was first assigned to Station No. 19 at Stickney and Ketcham avenues, said Robert Schwanzl, a retired Toledo assistant fire chief. He'd been deputy chief since March 5, 1976, retiring in that position Dec. 13, 1980.'He went up through the ranks,' Mr. Schwanzl said. 'A lot of the guys really enjoyed working with him as a deputy. 'He was what I call a taskmaster,' Mr. Schwanzl said. 'If you did your job, you got along really good. That's what he expected from people - that they do their job .'Newspaper headlines offer a glimpse of Mr. Myler's career: 'Warehouse Furniture Store Damaged By Fire,' 'Explosion, Fire Destroy Bar,' and 'Fire Strikes Auto Agency, but also, 'Man Critically Hurt in Apartment Fire' and '... Man Badly Burned In Fires Believed Set.'Mr. Myler was promoted to lieutenant in 1959, captain in 1961, and a district chief in 1967. As a captain, he worked on 7 squad at Station No. 17, Detroit and Nesslewood avenues, Mr. Schwanzl said.As a district chief, his home was Station No. 6 at Starr and Euclid, Mr. Schwanzl said, and as deputy chief, he was at Station No. 7 at Franklin Avenue and Bancroft Street. For a time, he was assistant superintendent of maintenance, keeping apparatus in working order.'He spent a lot of time on the rescue squad when he was captain,' Mr. Schwanzl said. 'He was a good man. He knew the fire business for sure, and he learned a lot when he was on the rescue squad. 'In 1968, Mr. Myler was among the finalists to replace Chief Arnold Papenhagen, who was about to retire. Eulan Tucker a fellow district chief, got the top job. He was born on Feb. 18, 1926, in Detroit to Katherine and Edgar Myler. He lived in Tiffin and in North and South Toledo while growing up. After high school, he served in the Navy during World War II. He was stationed in Hawaii and did not see action, his wife said. He attended the University of Toledo afterward and had several jobs before joining the fire department.Mr. Myler also was a bar owner, starting in the mid-1960s and continuing until 2001, his wife said. He liked the camaraderie of the business and owned six taverns at various times through the years. .'He was such a wonderful man, hardworking,' his wife said. He was formerly married to the late Patricia Myler. Surviving are his wife, Ivy, whom he married Aug. 7, 1985; sons, Joseph and James; daughters, Jacqueline Hardenbrook and Jeannie Myler, as well as grandchildren. There will be no services, at his request. Arrangements are by the H.H. Birkenkamp Funeral Home.The family suggests tributes to the Toledo Firefighters Museum