


Retired Elgin Deputy Fire Chief William “Fireman Bill” Freiberg died Tuesday after being admitted to Sherman Hospital with COVID-19 on the day after Thanksgiving, Elgin Fire Chief Robert Cagann said
A firefighter for 27 years, 74-year-old Freiberg retired in 2003, but his passion for fire service never waned, according to those who knew him. He was an active member of the Elgin Retired Firefighters Association and greatly involved with the Elgin Fire Barn No. 5 Museum.
Freiberg joined the Elgin Fire Department as a firefighter on Jan. 5, 1976.
“Bill was a dedicated member of the organization,” Cagann said. “He had a passion for the fire service. He worked his way up in the fire department to achieve the rank of deputy chief. It’s quite an accomplishment in one’s career.”
He loved sharing his knowledge of his profession with others, and while Cagann was never a member of Freiberg’s crew, he grew to know him while working on different projects with him, he said.
Once he retired, Freiberg “kept his passion for the fire service by being exceptionally involved in the Elgin Retired Firefighters Association. He was most recently the vice president,” Cagann said.
A donation Freiberg made to St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Elgin, in the memory of his late wife, Kathy, became part of a news story in 2016 after it was learned that the AED he purchased for the church helped save the life of a priest who had a heart attack after serving mass.
At the time, Freiberg said he was moved that the device helped revive the priest. He noted that he and retired Huntley Fire Chief Jim Saletta were part of a committee that convinced the Elgin City Council to approve funding for AEDs to be given to nonprofit social clubs in the city.
Frieberg married Kathleen Whalen on Oct. 4, 1969, and she preceded him in death in 2013.
He is survived by two children, Amy and John, and other family members and friends.
No funeral arrangements had been announced as of late Tuesday afternoon.