Former Springfield fire chief J.D. Knox has passed away.

Current chief Ed Canny, whose father was a firefighter, said he has known Knox all his life, and that Knox swore him in when Canny joined the department in 1997.

Canny says Knox was a great chief and a great guy.

“He really had a grasp of people and personalities, and he also led the department with a common sense attitude.

“Every time J.D. met a person, he seemed to care about the conversation he was having with them, and (two or three years late)r he would remember what the conversation was and ask about what you talked about last time and everything leading up to there.”

Knox was chief from late 1997 until his retirement i nearly 2001, after 31 years on the Springfield Fire Department.