Cheswick fireman remembered for 72 years of service

A final call for Lewis “Lew” Accorsi on Saturday paid homage to a firefighter who served with the Cheswick Volunteer Fire Company Station 121 for 72 years.

“Firefighter Accorsi entered the fire service in 1949 and has proudly served the Borough of Cheswick and surrounding communities for the past 72 years, rarely missing a call for help,” said the final call, given on the day of his funeral.

Accorsi, 92, died Sept. 30 in his Cheswick home.

Before serving as a fireman in Cheswick, Accorsi was a military police officer and firefighter in the Army, serving in occupied Japan after World War II. He later served as the quartermaster at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Wallace Murray Post in Cheswick. He co-founded the Lower Valley Ambulance Service.

Accorsi was a Cheswick Borough councilman for eight years and mayor for four.

He was a “very loving man, very honest and loyal,” said his son Sam Accorsi.

The fire department was a huge part of his life, his son said.

“He basically did everything at some point at the fire department. He’s always been very committed to the community and the firemen,” Sam Accorsi said of his father. “He just liked the fire department and was always there.”

Even at 92, he continued taking calls with the fire department.

“Lou was one of the most dedicated members of the Cheswick Volunteer Fire Company,” his final call reported.

On nearly every call over the past 15 years, Accorsi would drive Utility 121, which the fire department began to call “The Lew-tility.” The vehicle was retired just a few months ago, and Accorsi was the last one to drive it.

Accorsi remained active throughout his life, his son said, and always enjoyed hunting and fishing.

“At 92 years old, he still went fishing,” Accorsi said, adding that his father’s last fishing trip was as recent as last month. “He was happy. He caught a nice 20-inch trout his last trip.”

His funeral service was held Saturday.