'The Empty Chair' Hundreds Pay Tribute To Firefighter Bauserman, Lament Void He Left By Lee Zion (re-posted with permission)   BROADWAY - As the organist played "Amazing Grace," family members filed into the church to pay their last respects to the assistant fire chief of Rockingham County.   Hundreds of people came to the Linville Creek Church of the Brethren in Broadway to honor Jerry Bauserman. Emergency workers from all over the county, and fire crews from Augusta and Albemarle counties, also came.   Bauserman died on Saturday evening of an apparent heart attack. Early that day, he had been helping a neighbor build a fence, said the Rev. Paul Roth, minister at the church.   Bauserman, 42, leaves behind his wife, Julie, his daughter, Madison, and his son, Bryce.   "[This was] a death that came way too soon," Roth said.   Roth recalled many of Bauserman's accomplishments. Born Oct. 30, 1962, in Harrisonburg, he graduated from Spotswood High School in 1981.   He worked at the Rockingham County Fire & Rescue, and had been an assistant chief there since 1988. He was a member of the Virginia State Fire Chief Association and the Virginia Association of Fire Investigators, Roth said.   But more than that, he was a friend.   "He got into our hearts like good friends do. It wasn't hard — Jerry was just one of those kinds of guys," Roth said.   Bauserman 'Had It All Together'   Sonny Henkel, chaplain for the Rockingham County Fire Department, agreed. When he learned of Bauserman's death on Saturday night, something he saw drove home the meaning of such a loss.   "Looking through Jerry's office, right away I noticed the empty chair. My eyes were drawn to it — see, I don't think I had ever seen that chair empty before," he said.   Henkel described the Bauserman he remembered. He got to know him at the demolition derbies run by Hose Company No. 4 — events Bauserman had set up.   "I noticed a young man who had it all together. And he could keep it together," Henkel said. "I never saw Jerry come unglued — There were times that I thought that I was going to come unglued, but he kept on."   Henkel recalled that on one occasion, a man at the derby was ranting and raving at Bauserman. Rather than lose his own temper, Bauserman easily calmed the other man down.   "In two minutes or less — it might have been less — he had that guy laughing. And this fellow didn't even know that Jerry had taken control. In fact, this guy thought he was still in charge," Henkel said.   That is a rare talent, he said.   Another fond memory he had was of Bauserman's smile. The way it spread across his face was so infectious, Henkel recalled.   "Did you ever watch him start smiling? It would just start to come, kind of slow and move across his face? I knew something was up when I'd see it like that," he said. "That was a million-dollar smile in my book."   Bauserman was also a practical joker and avid fisherman. He was dedicated to his family and to his work, Henkel said.   He also recalled that Bauserman considered him part of the family. Three weeks ago, Bauserman welcomed him into the fold with a gift — a shirt emblazoned with the logo of the fire department.   "Little did I know that the first time I would wear it would be at his funeral," Henkel said, pulling back his jacket to show off the logo.   'A Symbol Of The Community'   Roth was pleased to see how many people came out, calling it "a symbol of the community."   "What other way do we have to come together and say, 'We are with you. And one of yours is one of ours?'" he said.   The funeral was also a way to strengthen ties among people during a time of loss and uncertainty, Roth said.   "We start grasping for what to hold onto. We find that within us, that I think is God-given," he said. "That's part of the community — in the midst of this fear of terrorism, this is where we come together and find a linking with one another that is much more deep-seated than our fears.   "It's a grounding in trust and hope."   Contact Lee Zion at 574-6274 or lzion@dnronline.com.       Back to the Memorial Page