PAW PAW, Mich. — The funeral arrangements for a Paw Paw firefighter who was killed last week have been arranged.
Ethan Quillen, 28, died on Wednesday, Feb. 22 while volunteering with the Paw Paw Fire Department. Crews had just addressed a downed wire during an ice storm when a tree brought a high voltage wire down on Quillen.
He will be laid to rest on Saturday, March 4 at Paw Paw High School. A visitation will begin at 10 a.m., and the service will start at 12:30 p.m. Quillen will be buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Allegan.
Quillen volunteered at the department since 2019 and worked his way up to a lieutenant role. He was also a marine, husband and father.
"You know we're so fortunate to have the people we have and you know they don't want anything in return," said Fire Chief Jim DeGroff. "Their satisfaction is helping another family or helping anywhere we can and we don't want pay. We don't want press, we don't look for that...Ethan was the example of the Paw Paw volunteer fire department."
After Quillen's death, a memorial including flowers, a hat and a pack of cigarettes was placed outside the fire department by his fellow first responders.
A GoFundMe has been created by the department to help his wife and daughter, and so far it has raised nearly $120,000.
Michigan State Police ruled the death an accident, and said the power line belonged to Consumers Energy.
A full obituary will later be posted by Adams Funeral Home here.
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