A man many credit with building the foundation for the modern-day Roswell fire department died at his home on Thursday of last week at the age of 91.

Chief Aubrey Reeves retired in 1983 with 38 years of service to the city and was fire chief for 25 years, according to the department’s current chief, Ricky Spencer.

“Chief Reeves was a great fire chief and I learned quite a bit from him,” Spencer said. “He was a very fair man yet he expected you to do your job and above all else, do it safe. Chief Reeves was respected by every member of the Roswell Fire Department, I never heard anyone say anything derogatory about the Chief. I believe I am a better man today from what the Chief taught me over the years.”

Mayor Jere Wood said Reeves was “part of a great tradition at the Roswell fire department that built a great institution, and he was a big part of that.”

Roswell Municipal Judge Maurice Hilliard called Reeves “one of my longtime, real good friends, a very good man with high moral character and lots of integrity. He was a man of his word.”

Hilliard said he knew Reeves for 50 years, first getting to know him time when Reeves worked at his parents’ store, Reeves Food Town, on Canton Street. “We bought groceries from them when I was a struggling young lawyer had a wife and four children who needed milk. They were very, very kind to us. “

Reeves was one of Roswell’s first volunteer firefighters, Hilliard said, “when Mr. Winkler was chief. When Mr. Winkler died, Aubrey became fire chief, and he was fire chief for just about ever. He was the daddy of the fire department that’s here now.”

“One of the finest gentleman I’ve ever known,” former mayor Pug Mabry said of Reeves. “He had a charming personality and was a friend to everybody. I don’t know if he had even one enemy in this town.”

Mabry was mayor when Reeves was fire chief, and Reeves retired “near the tail end of my career,” Mabry said. “He was a good leader. He could look into the future and see the growth of Roswell. The fire department started off very small, and he built it up into a good operation. He served his community well.”

Longtime friend Elwyn Gaissert extolled Reeves’ leadership qualities.

“He never asked his men of the volunteer fire department to do anything he would not do, he lead by example. Aubrey Reeves looked after his men, and later women too, and led the Roswell fire department as the head of household would,” Gaissert said.

“He made sure his department was well trained and that they were provided the best equipment for them to use. He used the funds that were provided to the fire department very wisely. Chief Reeves helped the city of Roswell earn one of the best insurance fire ratings in the state.”

In 2008 Reeves was honored by having Fire Station 1 dedicated to him. He was an Army veteran, Rotarian and a member of First Baptist Church of Roswell.

Reeves was preceded in death by his wife Margie Womack Reeves; daughter Sharon Mealer; and his brother Doris Reeves. Surviving are his son and daughter in law, Chris and Sandy Reeves; his daughter and son-in-law, Debbie and Chris Henson, all of Woodstock; grandchildren Cindy and Steve Hardy and Chrystal Prince; and one great grandson, Gavin Prince.