'Dedicated' Buffalo Grove fire educator dies

Arthur L “Skip” Hart Jr. was dedicated to his career in fire protection, but those who knew him say he also could have succeeded as a teacher because of his passion for working with children and senior citizens.

Hart died Wednesday of cancer at his home in Cary. He was 62.

Hart retired May 9 from the Buffalo Grove Fire Department, where he had served 16 years as fire inspector and public educator. He previously worked as a firefighter and lieutenant at the Cary Fire Protection District and as a fire inspector and public educator for the Mt. Prospect Fire Department.

His ability to communicate with all people made him effective in those roles, Buffalo Grove Fire Chief Terry Vavra said.

“Skip had an amazing ability to reach people no matter what age they were,” Vavra said.

He shared his work with his four adult children as they were growing up, taking them along for the ride to unexpected fire calls and strictly prohibiting them from lighting a candle inside the house, Hart's son Robert said.

“His work very much came home with him,” he said. “We knew from a very early age what our father did.”

Vavra said Hart met thousands of Buffalo Grove residents through his fire education work, and his son said the same of his time in Cary, where Hart moved when he was 5 years old. He ran a photography store in Cary for some time with his wife, Bobbie, and met residents that way as well, his son said.

Hart enjoyed woodworking and had handcrafted most of the end tables and wooden furniture in his home. He also played golf and enjoyed spending time at his property in Wisconsin, mowing the grass and just being outdoors, Robert Hart said.

Still, he found time for his children, Robert, Mandy, Justin and Shannon.

“He was very involved in our lives,” Robert Hart said. “He was a very busy person, but he always knew what every one of us was doing.”

“This guy was absolutely loved by every person that I ever came in contact with that knew him,” Vavra said. “He was one of the best human beings I ever met.”

Visitation for Hart will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, at Kahle-Moore Funeral Home, 403 Silver Lake Road, Cary. The funeral home is directed by Hart's longtime friend Steve Moore.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 1, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 2107 Three Oaks Road, Cary.