FRANKLIN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 1929 Mack fire truck that served the Detroit Fire Department, the Detroit Zoo, and the Franklin-Bingham Farms Fire Department is at the center of a community restoration effort — and a family's tribute to the man who dedicated himself to bringing it back to life.
Gary Roberts, a Franklin firefighter and self-described gearhead, spent years working to restore the historic truck before dying of esophageal cancer at age 70 a few weeks ago. Now, his children are picking up where he left off and launching an online fundraiser to get the Mack parade-ready within the next two years.
The truck's connection to the Roberts family spans generations. Gary's father, David, was also a Franklin firefighter who rode the Mack in parades and worked to keep it running after the engine gave out. When David died, Gary took over the restoration.
Gary's son Ben Roberts grew up watching his grandfather tinker with the truck and has his own memories tied to it.
"This has always been part of the family. Been very much engaged on playing with it. I remember very much as a little kid, there used to be a bell that was about right here. You'd ding it all the time. Kids love climbing on this thing in parades. It's a huge, basically a centerpiece for the Franklin community," Ben Roberts said.
Roberts said the mechanical heritage runs deep in his family.
"Being a gearhead is kind of in the Roberts blood. My grandfathers fell in love with anything antique, especially vehicles and by default, my dad kind of followed suit," Roberts said.
The truck is 95% original, according to Roberts, with some modernized fittings added to accommodate modern oil filters.
Bill Lamont, treasurer of the Franklin Historical Society and a friend of Gary's, said the truck has long been a community fixture.
"This one was a big draw that we always have in the Labor Day parade. Kids riding on the Mack Fire Truck," Lamont said.
Lamont described the truck's history: it began its service with the Detroit Fire Department in 1929, then moved to the Detroit Zoo, and eventually came to the Franklin-Bingham Farms Fire Department. After it was retired from active service, it became a staple of local parades and town gatherings — until it was no longer running.
Lamont reflected on what the truck meant to Gary.
"This was his baby," Lamont said.
Franklin-Bingham Farms Fire Chief Tony Averbuch said getting the truck back on the road requires both expertise and funding.
"We'd love to see the proper place, the proper home, the proper operational attributes to it. Something fitting for this piece of history," Chief Averbuch said.
For a link to the online fundraiser, CLICK HERE: https://www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-garys-passion-save-the-1929-mack-firetruck
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