Battalion Chief Luke Kimmig

It is with profound sorrow and sadness that the Kimmig and True families announce the passing of our brave, kind and caring husband, father, son, brother, son-in-law, brother-in-law and uncle, Luke Kimmig, on October 17, 2024, at the age of 38.

Luke was born into a loving and hard working family, the fifth of ten children. He was born four minutes after his beloved twin sister, Joanna, in Casselberry, FL. Luke’s family moved to Sanford when he was four years old. He grew up being involved in youth and Seminole High School baseball, and his attachment to the community made his beloved City of Sanford the easy choice as to where he would serve in his fire career.

On September 11, 2006, at the age of 19, Luke joined the Sanford Fire Department. For 18 years he faithfully served as firefighter, paramedic, apparatus operator, Lieutenant, and Battalion Chief. His dedication to the job led him to run over 20,000 emergency calls and serve as a key member of specialized teams such as dive, bike, light technical rescue, SFD training committee, special operations, and Seminole County Sheriff’s Aviation Rescue Swimmer.

Luke was a driven man recognizing the more he knew the better he could serve. After completing homeschool, he earned his EMT licensure (2005) and Fire Standards (2006) at Seminole Community College. He went on to earn his paramedic licensure (2009), Associate in Science of Emergency Medical Services (2011), Associate in Fire Science (2012), and Associate in Arts of General Education (2013) from Seminole State College. Additionally, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Administration from St. Petersburg College (2014), and Master of Science in Fire and Emergency Services from the University of Florida (2017). He passed on his passion for learning to his cadets as a Fire Standards instructor for 9 years at Seminole State College.

In March 2007, Luke married his sweetheart, Lois True. They were blessed with five children and made Central Church in Sanford their home for fellowship and spiritual growth.

From childhood, Luke developed a love for God. He enjoyed baseball, camping, whitewater adventuring and his great love of country was influenced by his father and grandfathers that served in the military. As an adult, he enjoyed camping and canoeing in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. He coached his children in youth baseball and taught them a respect for our country. Luke’s faith in God was evident in the way he served his family and community.

Luke left behind a large family who loved him dearly. They will hold closely all the memories made, and will be privileged to share the many stories of him with his children.

Luke was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Calvin and Betty Henderson, his paternal grandfather, Charles E. Kimmig, Sr., Uncle Bubba, Aunt Shawn, and nephew, Luke Zander Kimmig.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Lois Kimmig, and five dear children:

Haven, Judah, Titus, Maddox and Miles.

Additionally, Luke is survived by paternal grandmother, Sarah Kimmig, parents, Chuck and Rose Kimmig, and his siblings: April (Jason) Wanner (eight children), Uriah Kimmig (sister-in-love, Kim Kimmig) (five children), Abigail (Ronnie) Chalkley (six children), Joanna (Jonathan) Wanner (five children), Josiah (Susanna) Kimmig (five children), Adah (Leonard) Wanner (five children), Elijah (Ruth) Kimmig (three children), Benaiah (Kayla) Kimmig (four children), and Clara (Ian) Lawson (two children).

Luke is also survived by many loving family members and in-laws.

The family will receive friends from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm on Thursday, October 24, 2024 at Central Church, 3101 FL-46, Sanford, Florida 32771. The funeral service will be held at 1:00 pm at Central Church in Sanford on Friday, October 25, 2024. Private interment will be held at a later time in Oaklawn Park Cemetery in Lake Mary.

Guests’ attire in attendance at the memorial service is encouraged to be in true Luke fashion: jeans, dress shirt, and boots.

In lieu of traditional remembrance, the family kindly requests memorials be made to the Florida Firefighters Safety Collaborative, https://floridafiresafety.org, Food for the Hungry, Https://www.fh.org, or Tunnel to Towers, https://t2t.org