Millerton Mourns Loss of Hector 'Sandy' McClune

MILLERTON — Many knew Hector "Sandy" McClune as a friendly, happy man, always ready with a joke. And that’s exactly how his wife of 55 years wants to remember him.

"He was a very loving, kidding around guy," Nan McClune said. "He was just full of jokes and pranks and things. He was very easy going."

McClune died Sunday afternoon, after responding to a small grass fire behind the Millerton Elementary School, not far from his home. He was on the scene of the fire, along with his fellow firefighters, when he collapsed.

"When Sandy arrived he started to assist with the extinguishment attempts, then he collapsed," said Dutchess County Coordinator of the Crisis Response Team Steve Tuttle. "A family member was with him when he arrived, and when he collapsed he was immediately attended to by fellow firefighters. Immediate resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful."

The 76-year-old Scottish immigrant was transported to Sharon Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

"It was presumed that he died of a heart attack at the scene, but autopsy results are pending, which will be released to the family first," Tuttle added.

Meanwhile, family and friends of the fallen firefighter are trying to wrap their minds around the fact that the man they admired is now gone.

"We’re trying to remember Sandy how he always was, trying to joke around with everybody," said Millerton Fire Department Chief Keith Roger. "He didn’t take things too seriously, only when he needed to, and then, when you least expected it, there was Sandy."

Roger said one of the most surprising things he’s learned since McClune’s death is how many people he knew.

"It’s kind of amazing how many people he knew and touched," he said.

That was all part of his charm, according to his wife, who added that those who knew Sandy are now reaching out to her.

"Millerton is a close-knit family," she said. "If something happens everybody is there to help out, and they’ve been extremely generous with us. It’s going to be hard to thank everyone, especially the fire department and the Valentine Funeral Home, friends and neighbors."

The McClunes have lived in the Harlem Valley for many years. They first emigrated to Canada after leaving Scotland in 1951, and then moved to Maryland before moving for a short while to Ancramdale and then finally settling in Millerton. McClune ran a dairy operation out of the Kimball farm, which he rented, and later worked for S.E. Kimball & Son Farm Equipment. He also served as highway superintendent for the town of North East and worked for the Salisbury School in Salisbury, Conn.

He not only had a strong work ethic, he also had strong family ties.

"He was a good husband and father, and grandfather. And he was a good provider," Nan McClune said. "You get past the stage of doing things and you’re just happy to be home. We were close with our family and it’s very supportive. I don’t know what I would do without them."

The patriarch also had a love of nature and of anything mechanical.

"He loved to tinker," she added. "He loved to fix the tractor and pick potatoes and hunt and ice fish. He very much enjoyed this area."

He also loved volunteering his time at the fire department, which he did for 41 years. McClune’s death actually marks the department’s first in the line of duty since its inception, according to Roger.

"A line-of-duty death is probably the first and worst nightmare that any chief can imagine in any department on the face of the world to happen," he said. "This would be Millerton’s first line-of-duty death. It’s definitely impacting the others. I think everybody is still sort of in a state of shock at this point."

Calling hours will be Thursday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Valentine Funeral Home on Park Street in the village. The fire department is giving McClune a full firefighter’s funeral the following day. The funeral will be Friday, Dec. 1, at 10 a.m. in front of the Valentine Funeral Home with a procession through the village ending at the Irondale Cemetery on Route 22 just north of the traffic light. A reception will follow for all visiting fire departments at the Millerton fire station.