Longtime Volunteer Firefighter, Deputy Chief, Passes Away At 68

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — The local volunteer firefighting community is mourning the loss of one of its longtime members.

The Roslyn Fire Company announced that longtime firefighter and deputy chief Charles "Chas" Moritz passed away late last week.

He served with the department on a volunteer basis for nearly 50 years, with 20 of those years spent as the deputy chief of the organization.

Abington Township is one of the largest municipalities in Montgomery County, and therefore has a number of volunteer fire departments serving various parts of the township.

Moritz was only 68 years old at the time of his death, according to his obituary.

No cause of death was offered, but the obituary says that Moritz died peacefully at his Willow Grove home surrounded by family and friends.

Moritz was a Philadelphia native who went on to graduate from Abington Senior High School after his family relocated to the suburbs.

He volunteered with the Roslyn Fire Company for almost five decades and spent 27 of those years serving as an officer in some capacity.

Moritz and his wife, Susan, were also known in the community for owning and operating Chas' Deli in the Roslyn section of Abington from 1984 to 2010, his obituary states.

Moritz, who was an active Freemason, had received the Pennsylvania Governor's Award in October 2022 in recognition of his volunteerism and his support of community crime prevention in Abington.

Moritz had also served as a fire service instructor in neighboring Bucks County for a time during the early 2000s, after which he became the nighttime training coordinator there, according to the obituary.

He eventually became the first-ever assistant director of field operations for southeastern Pennsylvania.

In addition to his wife, Susan, Moritz is survived by his sons Gregg and Scott, and his grandsons Che and Sol.

A memorial service for Moritz will take place on July 30 beginning at 11 a.m. at the Trinity Community Church, located at 1200 Easton Road in Roslyn, according to the fire department.

Visitation will follow the service, after which a reception will be held in the church basement.

Anyone who is interested in attending the reception is asked to contact Roslyn Assistant Fire Chief Steve Hartman at shartman@roslynfireco.com.

Interment will be private.