Longtime Leader Of Oak Forest EMA Remembered For Service, Dedication To Crisis Management: City

OAK FOREST, IL — A longtime Oak Forest man and respected leader of the City's emergency management agency has died, the City said Monday.

Bob Small was appointed as the coordinator of the newly-created Emergency Services and Disaster Agency in the 1970s, the City said, a position he held for nearly 50 years. Small died Nov. 25; he was 89 years old.

"Over his nearly 45-year tenure, he collaborated with six mayors in directing the city's emergency management operations and benefited from the invaluable assistance of numerous volunteer members who supported our fire and police departments, as well as other communities, in safeguarding citizens and their properties," the City said.

Small retired in 2020.

A veteran of the United States Army, Small was also a member of the Oak Forest Veterans Commission and contributed greatly to its success, the City said.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, December 2 from 9 a.m. until the time of chapel service at noon at Brady-Gill Funeral Home at 16600 S. Oak Park Avenue in Tinley Park.

Interment to take place at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bob’s name can be made to The Alzheimer’s Association by visiting www.alz.org.

See his full obituary online.