GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For hundreds and hundreds of Thursdays, Dave Tiesma has stood next to the fire engine at the Streets of Old Grand Rapids exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
He teaches the curious how firefighters in days past responded to emergencies in the city, tells children the names of the plastic horses — Ermtrude and Murgatroyd — and points out that he, too, is contained in the museum's history. An old book from the Grand Rapids Fire Department shows his portrait, and a photo of his former station — No. 6 — is on the wall of the exhibit.
Now, after 17 years of volunteering at the museum, Tiesma has worked his final shift.
"It was a lot of fun," Tiesma said to FOX 17 on Thursday. "You meet people from all over the world, and you get to talk to them."
"You're the expert, so to speak," he said.
For people like Tiesma — retirees who always seem to have a story in their back pocket — the museum has long offered opportunities to volunteer their time and passion for the past.
"We want this museum to be a reflection of the people and the story of West Michigan," said Mo Fleming, the museum's volunteer manager.
"Dave is a storyteller extraordinaire," Fleming said. "I can repeat every story Dave has ever told me because he's told me that many times."
While the retired firefighter's story at the museum has come to an end, he's happy to be a part of history.
"You got your grandparents, you got your parents, then you get your kids, get your grandkids. Now I've got one great granddaughter," Tiesma said. "To see all this life taking place, and you’re living through it, and God has been good to me through all this whole thing. I just enjoy it."
