John E. “Sunny” Rose joined the OVFC on 12 November 1963. At the time of his death on 4 May 2015, he had 51 ½ years of service and was a Life Member.
He served as a line officer over the years to include Ambulance First Aid Captain and Suppression offices to include Lieutenant and Captain. He served on the Board of Directors for 14 years. His Directors collar pins were retired and presented to him in April 2000. He was on countless committees including Bull Roast, Commissary, LOSAP, Membership, Quartermaster, and Training. The Training Building was dedicated to Sunny in April 2004.
If anyone didn’t learn something from him, they weren’t paying attention. He has touched the lives of both volunteer and career individuals; to him, there was no difference. Everyone was a firefighter and he didn’t care if you were receiving a paycheck or not. Every speaking moment for him became an opportunity to teach. It was not unusual to find Sunny teaching a class in one region of the state during the day, picking up a support vehicle from MFRI in the afternoon, and then teaching another class in a different region that evening.
Due to his love of training, beginning at the 2016 Maryland State Firemen’s Association (MSFA) there will be a John E. “Sunny” Rose, Jr. Memorial Training Award to recognize an individual who dedicates the most hours to Fire, EMS, and Rescue training during the year.
