News

Remembering Past Chief Mood
Monday, September 30, 2024

It is with deep sympathy and the utmost regret that Fire Chief Chip Thompson and President Gerald L. Manley Jr. announce the untimely passing of Past Chief / Chief Emeritus Gerald J. Mood. Chief Mood was a fixture within the station and this loss is huge. Chief Mood was a 65+ Year Member of the CHC, one of the select few men to be awarded Chief Emeritus and the only member to date to achieve 12,000+ alarm responses. Perhaps more notably, Chief Mood was Fire Chief during the only Line of Duty Death that the Company has endured. Chief Mood led from the front, with courage and tenacity, yet he was a very quiet and reserve man. He never joined in the quarrels of the engine room, but he would set them straight. He was a kind and loving soul, honest and supporting, and arguably the most respected member among the Company. When he spoke, everyone listened and knew that he meant business; otherwise, he let those in the proper positions make the decisions. He was first appointed as a Fire Line Officer - Captain - in 1965, served as Fire Chief from 1971-1973 and 1979-1982.

He was first appointed as a Director in 1965 and served in that capacity until current, serving consecutively since 2003. He was witty and known for a good or "sly" remark every so often. He was cunning and revered, yet there still are not proper words to describe all that Chief Mood was to the CHC. He truly was the CHC in every aspect and is all that we aspire to be. He embodied the CHC, was proud to serve and beyond proud to be a member. It was rare that he missed an alarm and before heading out of town, even for the quickest of errands, he would drive by the station. He leaves a longstanding legacy within our Company. Please keep the Mood family in your thoughts and prayers.

Gerald Joseph Mood, age 86, of Smyrna, Delaware, passed away on Monday, September 30, 2024 at Bayhealth Kent Campus in Dover, Delaware.

A viewing will be offered on Friday, October 11, 2024 from 5 to 9 PM in the Faries Funeral Chapel, located at 29 South Main Street in Smyrna. Access to the funeral home up until approximately 6 PM will be limited due to the scheduled Smyrna Homecoming Parade through town, but Gerald would have wanted to partake in the Homecoming activities! A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 11 AM at St. Polycarp Roman Catholic Church, located at 55 Ransom Lane in Smyrna. Burial with military honors will follow at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Smyrna.