Frank Edward Allgeier; Retired Firefighter

Frank Edward Allgeier, a longtime Oxnard firefighter, has died after a brief illness. He was 63.

A 24-year veteran of the Fire Department, Allgeier retired in 1980 after attaining the rank of captain. He died Wednesday near his retirement home of Rough and Ready in Northern California, according to his son, Michael Allgeier.

“Dad was a very down-to-Earth guy,” Allgeier said. “He loved to take the whole family hiking, camping and fishing whenever he could. He was a great dad and a good man.”

A staff sergeant in the U. S. Air Force before joining the Oxnard Fire Department, Allgeier served on such far-flung bases as Greenland and Newfoundland before being transferred to the then-Oxnard Air Force base, which is now Camarillo Airport.

Oxnard Fire Department Battalion Chief Terry McAnally said he remembers Allgeier as a fun-loving person who would go out of his way to help others.

“He was a big bear of guy,” McAnally said. “I remember he would drive around town in a big, brown, four-wheel-drive truck--you could always tell when he was coming. He was a great firefighter. We will miss him.”

Allgeier is survived by his wife of 40 years, Jeanne, and sons Michael of Ocean City, Wash., and John and Joseph, both of Oxnard, and four grandchildren.

Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. today at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Conrad-Carroll Mortuary, Oxnard.