A hero's farewell: Hundreds attend funeral of Ron Savage

MILFORD, Mich. (WJBK) - A hero's send-off fitting the personality of Ron Savage - meaning there were stories of glory, of laughter and his selfless nature.

"Ron gave quite freely of himself, never quite figured out the exact meaning of the word no and always managed to donate his time to any cause or anyone that ever asked."

GALLERY: Remembering Ron Savage in photos

As hundreds inside St. Mary Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church smiled and cried in memory and honor during a final farewell.

"Most of us believe that super heroes are characters in comic books, modern myths, figures of our imagination," said Huel Perkins. "But most of us who had the honor and privilege of working with Ron Savage know that Superman is real."

"I remember someone coming up to him one time said I think I've seen you someplace, he said I've been around," Rev. Msgr. John Budde. "That's the way he was. He was not pretentious. There was humility about him and a desire to serve others."

The tributes poured in from viewers and firefighters from around the country all week long. An example of the far reach one man can have.

After the two-hour long funeral the casket was led out of the church into a restored fire engine - one that Ron himself was instrumental in restoring.

"It's a historically known Detroit rig," said Capt. Arnie Nowicki, Detroit Fire Department. "He loved Detroit, everything about Detroit, and the fact that it's different from other engines."

The flag that draped the casket was then presented to Ron's wife Mitzi and their son, Ronnie in a stirring ceremony.

Some of the first responders said that now is the hard part when the reality sets in that Ron is truly gone. What will last with us are the memories and the lives he touched. Sixty-three years.