GREENVILLE — Philip Henry Theiss, a hardworking man and a dedicated volunteer fireman, died on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, at Hospice Inn in St. Peter's Hospital. He was 82.

“He was a good worker and he instilled that in us,” said his daughter, Deborah Theiss-Mackey.

Mr. Theiss was born in Brooklyn to Henry and Anna Theiss on Oct. 3, 1933.

“He was the baby of the family,” said Ms. Theiss-Mackey. Mr. Theiss had three older brothers and a sister.

The Theisses moved to Greene County, to a farm in Oak Hill, which is still in the family today. “He was younger when his mom passed; he hung out with his brother,” said Ms. Theiss-Mackey.

As a young man, Mr. Theiss joined the Army and fought in the Korean War. “He didn’t talk about it,” said his daughter of his time in the service.

Mr. Theiss met the woman who would become his wife, Freda Dutton, through mutual friends. Their marriage lasted 45 years, ending only with Mrs. Theiss’s death. He retired from Hannay Reels to help care for her after she was diagnosed with cancer.

“When they started out,” said Ms. Theiss-Mackey, “they lived on the farm with my grandfather, my Dad’s dad, and every February for three years, they had a baby.”

Ms. Theiss-Mackey was the first; she was born in February 1958 in the midst of a blizzard.  “They couldn’t get home; I stayed in a banana box at an uncle and aunt’s,” she said.

Betty and Phyllis followed in 1959 and 1960, and the Theiss’s fourth daughter, Dawn, was born in 1970.

Mr. Theiss held a variety of jobs over the years — pumping gas and changing tires at Dietrich’s Store; installing Paddock Pools, which often took him out of town on weekdays; and running the forklift and doing other work at Hannay Reels in Westerlo.

“He was a very hard worker,” said Ms. Theiss-Mackey. “When he was away during the week, we missed him but my grandparents and aunts and uncles stepped up to the plate. When he came home on weekends, he’d play with us.”

Mr. Theiss particularly enjoyed taking his family on Sunday drives for ice cream; the adventures had no set destination. “We’d go wherever the car would take us,” said Ms. Theiss-Mackey.

Sunday dinners could be interrupted by the ringing of the emergency phone the Theisses had in their house for the rescue squad. Mr. Theiss volunteered for both the rescue squad, riding with the legendary Westerlo doctor, Anna Perkins, and for the fire company.

“Mom was in the auxiliary,” said Ms. Theiss-Mackey.

Mr. Theiss was a life member of the Westerlo Volunteer Fire Company as well as a member of the Albany and Greene counties’ volunteer firemen associations.

“He was in the fire company with my grandfather. When I was little, it was family. Everyone volunteered. Everyone helped out,” said Ms. Theiss-Mackey.

“The sad thing is, him and my mom didn’t get to take a lot of trips. We never had real vacations,” she said.

“The main thing we learned from him is you worked. You had to have a work ethic.” Ms. Theiss Mackey said of her father.

She also said, “He was a character....People remember stories that make them laugh. He hung around with fun people.”

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Philip Henry Theiss is survived by his sister, Ruth Tobin; his four daughters, Deborah Theiss-Mackey and her husband, Ken, Betty Serls and Glenn Sugawara, Phyllis Magee and her husband, Ron, Dawn LePage and her husband, Gregg.

He is also survived by his grandchildren, Philip and Daniel Mackey, Casey Serls/Amaral (Scott), Ashley Serls/Duval (Dan), Lindsey Serls, Tracy Magee (Ryan Ricci), Shelby Magee, Delaney, Addey and Calem LePage.

He is survived, too, by his great-grandchildren, Mason Mackey, Jacob and Joshua Smith, and Logan Amaral.

His parents died before him as did his wife, Freda Dutton Theiss; his three brothers — Henry, William, and Daniel; and a granddaughter Katy Lyn Serls.

His daughters would like to thank all of his friends who were an important part of his life.

A service was held on Tuesday morning, Dec. 8, at the A.J. Cunningham Funeral Home in Greenville, followed by burial in Brookside Cemetery in Preston Hollow. Condolences may be posted at ajcunninghamfh.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Westerlo Rescue Squad, Post Office Box 12, Westerlo, NY 12193 or to the Hospice Inn, care of Hospice Center for Philanthropy, 310 South Manning Blvd., Albany, NY 12208.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer