Fun run honors fallen Evanston firefighter

Participants in the Marty F. Leoni Memorial Fun Run gather after crossing the finish line in Elliott Par on Oct. 6. Credit: Heidi Randhava

At age 28, Evanston firefighter/paramedic Marty Leoni Jr. made the ultimate sacrifice while searching for a 1-month-old baby during a fire at 1927 Jackson Ave. on July 22, 1985. The annual Marty F. Leoni Memorial Fun Run was established the following year to honor and celebrate his life.

On Sunday, Oct. 6 more than 50 people gathered for the 39th annual fun run, which kicked off at 8:30 a.m. at Fire Department headquarters, 909 Lake St. Participants were invited to “run, walk, bike, skateboard, rollerblade, or do whatever it takes to reach the finish line” at Elliott Park, located at Hamilton Street and Lake Shore Boulevard, approximately 3 miles from the starting point.

Hosted by Evanston Fire Department Local 742, the fun run was free and open to the public, with no registration required. T-shirts were available for purchase. All proceeds benefitted the Marty Leoni Memorial Fund.

Sue Leoni, sister-in-law of the late Marty Leoni Jr., volunteers at the Oct. 6 fun run. Credit: Heidi Randhava

EFD Local 742 also sponsors an annual golf outing to raise funds for the Marty F. Leoni Scholarship, established in 1986 by Leoni’s family, friends and fellow firefighters. The scholarship is awarded annually to an Evanston Township High School student who excels academically, has been an accomplished football player for at least three years and demonstrates personal character similar to Leoni’s. Award recipients are selected by an ETHS-led committee.

Leoni became a firefighter for the City of Evanston on March 2, 1981. As a first responder, he was trained, committed and duty-bound to respond to people in need, regularly placing his life on the line to save lives and protect property in the community where he was born and raised. Leoni was the first Evanston firefighter to die in the line of duty in 83 years.

In 1993, the city created Firefighter’s Park (then called Fireman’s Park) at Simpson Street and Maple Avenue to honor the three firefighters killed in the line of duty in the fire department’s 149-year history: Leoni (1985), and William Craig and George Stiles, both of whom died fighting the Clayton Mark steel mill fire in 1905.

An annual remembrance ceremony is held on July 22 at Firefighter’s Park on the anniversary of Leoni’s death to honor fallen first responders and recognize the sacrifices made by all first responders. Each year at 10:54 a.m., a solemn bell tolls during the ceremony, marking the time and date that Leoni gave his life attempting to save the life of another. The one-month-old baby Leoni was searching for was successfully rescued from another room by firefighters, according to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Roll of Honor.