LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Battalion Chief Maj. Garry Key, the longest-serving volunteer member of the Zoneton Fire District, died Saturday after a monthlong battle with COVID-19.
Key's death was confirmed in a statement from Zoneton Fire District. Until he fell ill, Key had been serving as acting chief of the Bullitt County fire district after Chief Rob Orkies died in December from a battle with COVID-19 and cancer.
"Garry was highly respected by all who knew him and all of us are deeply saddened by his loss" acting Chief Kevin Moulton said in a statement. "This is a difficult time for the entire fire department."
Key was hospitalized with COVID-19 in mid-January and was placed on a ventilator. The fire district had been reporting encouraging news on Key's path to recovery until Feb. 5, when it said his "condition has deteriorated and he is not doing well," according to a Facebook post.
Key's life was one of public service. He served nearly 30 years in the U.S. Army, including a tour of Vietnam from 1970-1971. He joined Zoneton Fire District in 1984. In 2020, Key retired from the Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office, where he worked for 10 years as a reserve deputy and later as a court security office.
Key is survived by his wife of 50 years, two siblings, a brother and sister, two children, a son and a daughter, and six grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending, the fire district said.
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