‘The citizens of Ridgeville have lost a wonderful man’: Honoring the life of a beloved firefighter

RANDOLPH COUNTY, Ind. — It was a somber morning for the town of Ridgeville as dozens came to pay tribute to a man who meant so much to so many people.

“He was way more than a friend to me. He was family,” said Gary Barnett, the fire chief with the Ridgeville Volunteer Fire Department. 

Donald “Hev” Caylor was the assistant fire chief with the Ridgeville Volunteer Fire Department. He volunteered here for nearly 40 years.

“The citizens of Ridgeville have lost a wonderful man,” Barnett said. “His ability or his need to reach out to help people was second to none. [He was] just an amazing man.” 

Barnett worked closely with Hev for decades and tells our FOX59/CBS4 team that he dedicated his life to helping others.

“We served together at the fire department for all of these years,” Barnett said. “I worked my way up to the fire chief position and he supported me and guided me to that position selflessly. He didn’t care about his rank. He didn’t care about any of that. He just knew he wanted to help [people].” 

Hev unexpectedly died over the weekend when responding to an early morning fire.

“We responded to a structure fire,” Barnett said. “After fire suppression was over, when we returned to our fire station, we found Hev on the floor deceased. He had responded to the station in an effort to come and help us fight the fire and apparently he had gotten halfway through the station and collapsed on the floor.”

Barnett and the rest of the team immediately called for help. They are still not sure what caused him to collapse or what ultimately led to his death.

Now, just over 24 hours later, friends, family, and colleagues are saying their goodbyes with a special police escort from IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital to a funeral home in Ridgeville and he will soon be laid to rest.

“The outpouring of support from other fire departments, from my friends, Hev’s friends, has been overwhelming,” Barnett said.

And from one firefighter to another, Gary Barnett had one final message for his good friend Hev Caylor.

“[I would tell him] I love him and I always will,” he said.

The plan is to set up a memorial outside of the fire station to honor Hev’s memory. The community is welcome to leave flowers, notes, and other mementos. The fire station is located 302 N Walnut Street in Ridgeville.