Ladies Auxiliary Honored for 60 Years of Service

Behind every great man, there’s a great woman.

This statement rings truer than a fire alarm at , where the Ladies Auxiliary has been supporting the work of Doylestown’s bravest for more than 60 years.

Started in 1950 by the wives of local firemen, today the Auxiliary women are still on the front lines, serving coffee, Gatorade, donuts, hot dogs and hamburgers from Canteen 19 to weary firefighters during calls around the region.

President Sarah Bellerby and Vice President Mary Jane Mims have been committed to the Doylestown Company for more than 30 years each. Today, the lifetime members still are doing more work behind the scenes than most people acknowledge.

“There’s been many a time that we’ve spent all night with the company,” Bellerby said, remembering fires around town that required frantic, spontaneous trips to Sommer Maid Creamery in Pipersville and Doylestown's old Hornberger’s Bakery for fresh supplies.

“It’s hard to get up in the middle of the night,” Mims added. “But when you see how badly they need it, you think, ‘It’s good I came.’”

Bellerby and Mims have faced their fair share of struggle and heartbreak – helping to thaw out firefighters’ glasses in a bitter cold Fountainville blaze, and finding the men too upset to eat at a deadly Delaware Valley College barn fire.

But through good times and bad, the community has endured.

“We’re mainly here to support our men, who are so dedicated,” said Bellerby, whose husband Ronald is a 41-year member of the company.

After the Ladies Auxiliary marked 60 years of service, the active members of the group were honored with monogrammed jackets from the fire company.

“It’s nice that they got recognized,” said Ollie Groman, a 60-year veteran of the company. “They’ve been in the background for years.”

When they’re not on call, the women serve nearly 2,000 hungry patrons at their annual pancake breakfast and cook a roast for the Old Timers' Dinner.

Over the years, they’ve sported their traditional red vests and blue skirts in parades around the community, laying bouquets on the graves of fallen firefighters.

Although Auxiliary membership has dwindled recently due to work and family commitments, Bellerby said her hope is that the group continues to endure to support the men for many years to come.

“Sometimes you don’t always see it day to day,” Mims said. “But we’d be there for anyone.”

To learn more about joining the Auxiliary, contact the at 215-348-2656.