Plover honors outgoing firefighter with nearly 50 years of service

By Brandi Makuski

The engine bay at the Plover Fire Department was jam-packed Wednesday night as well-wishers gathered to offer an emotional goodbye to one of the longest-serving members of the department.

It was a formal retirement ceremony for Lt. Matt Schoonover, who’s been with the department for over 30 years. He began his career in the fire service almost 50 years ago in Black River Falls before fighting fires in the town of Madison.

After moving with his family to Central Wisconsin in the 1990s, Schoonover joined fire departments in Whiting and Plover. He’s also been a long-time wildland firefighter for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

“When Matt told me he was retiring, he said, ‘Don’t say anything to anybody,'” said Fire Chief Mark Deaver on Oct. 18, which prompted laughter from the audience. Then, turning to Schoonover, Deaver said, “But I believe you have done so much for this community, and these are your friends, and they want to help you celebrate.”

In attendance were Schoonover’s wife, Mary, who secretly gave Deaver the green light for the celebration, and son, Ryan, along with past and present department members and retired Chief Tim Kluck. Dan Kontos, who worked with Schoonover at the Whiting Fire Department, also shared a story about a roof collapsing on Schoonover on the scene of a house fire, and how Schoonover calmly and humorously brushed it off by saying simply, “Well, that was fun.”

Department members also organized a slideshow featuring photographs of Schoonover throughout the years, including video messages from former coworkers.

“You haven’t just been fighting fires, you’ve been training the future of the fire department and the future of the state, all the communities in our area, for many years,” Deaver told Schoonover, also thanking Schoonover’s family for “allowing him to become part of our family; and I think he was almost part of our family more than he was part of yours.”

Deaver said Schoonover was well-known for helping others, saying “Everybody in this room, I think, has a story about Matt helping them, or what Matt has trained them on over the years.”

Another thing Schoonover is known for is his desire to blend into the background. His typical response when asked how he was doing was, “A little ducky,” or, if it was sunny outside, “a little peachy.” But outside of his affinity to Coke Zero, Deaver said Schoonover was a quiet, humble man content to show up and do the work, but when he spoke, people listened.