John F. Price Jr. – Retired Captain Passes Away

The Roanoke Firefighters lost a brother last night. Retired Captain John F. Price Jr. passed away. Captain Price was hired on December 1, 1966 and retired March 4, 1998 with 32 years of service. The first time I heard of Captain Price was when Jay Ransome would tell the story of Jay grabbing a Johnny by the elbows and swinging him around hollering let’s do the Watusi. Then Johnny was at Jay’s mercy because he had his hands in his pockets. Although it might have been the other way around. Jay would tell us that story once a cycle, as well as many others, but that is another story.

Funeral and Visitation Information is [HERE]

But that is only one story. There were so many. Often I would hear about how Johnny was so quick on his feet. The best stories were the ones involving the boys though. Johnny has 3 sons in the Fire Department; Lieutenant John F. Price III, Lieutenant Courtney Price, and Firefighter Chris Price. The stories all began with “One day when Johnny was at work” then the story would take a turn. The boys would get into trouble while at home with Mom “Gail” Price. Apparently Gail knew the solution to the boys acting up, all she would have to do is drive the boys to the station and let Johnny take care of business. I believe this is where the term “Tough Love” came from. After the boys “lesson”, Gail would drive the boys back home. The lesson would soon wear off and they would be taught again. These were the types of stories told of Johnny. The funny ones. How he was a great Captain, and was very well respected.

In the past several years, I had the pleasure of working with Johnny and Jerry “Big Daddy” Sullivan at the Golf Tournaments. I would get the BBQ supplies and they would doctor it up to some of the best BBQ around. Johnny loved being at the tournament and seeing all the guys. He always made sure that the guys were well fed.

But those are my memories. I only knew him a short while, and I was hired after he retired. So let us hear from you all. Let us hear your stories. If you haven’t posted a comment on this site in the past, this is a perfect opportunity to do so. If you can’t figure it out, call me.

I assure you that the four Price Boys are just as proud of their DAD as he was of them. God Bless the Price Family. If you are out of town and need information, email me at FireFleitz@adelphia.net