Franklin Harper Sr., former chief and president of the Lawnside Borough Volunteer Fire Co., has died at 83

Franklin Harper Sr., 83, of Lawnside, longtime member and onetime chief and president of the Lawnside Borough Volunteer Fire Co., retired road inspector for the Camden County Highway Department, community advocate, and mentor, died Wednesday, July 10, of kidney failure at his home.

Mr. Harper joined the Lawnside Volunteer Fire Co. when he was 16 and spent the rest of his life as a firefighter, assistant chief, chief, president, and tireless company booster. His father and brother were firefighters, and all three of his sons and two grandsons are active fire company members.

Established in 1913, Lawnside is one of the oldest all-Black fire companies in the country, and Mr. Harper served as its chief twice in the 1970s and ‘80s, and president in the 1980s. He told the Courier-Post in 2003: “Lawnside is one of the oldest Black towns in the state, and being part of Lawnside is the pride of belonging to the fire company.”

As chief and president. Mr. Harper supervised the firehouse on Douglas Avenue near Warwick Road and represented the company to borough officials and the public. He was in charge at the scene of dozens of incidents, provided countless updates to the media, and interacted often with other fire and emergency service and educational organizations.

He was interviewed by middle school students as part of the Lawnside Historical Society’s oral history project in 2006 and told The Inquirer afterward: “It’s important to let the community, especially the children, know what makes Lawnside run.” He talked to journalist April Saul in 2023 about his family’s tradition of engaging in sometimes-dangerous public service and said on TapintoCamden.net: “We pray for each other every day. It’s our daily Harper prayer.”

His colleagues at the fire department said in a Facebook post that his “unwavering commitment, bravery, and leadership left an indelible mark on our community.” He was always on the lookout for young volunteers and told the Courier-Post in 2003: “When we respond to a fire, the little kid running down the street following the fire truck, we say that kid is going to be a fireman.”

In 2006, he said: “We were all that kid … knowing at that time that I can’t wait to become a fireman.”

Mr. Harper was routinely generous with his time and money in the neighborhood, and volunteered to mentor children and counsel others in need. He plowed for the county after snowstorms and made sure that Lawnside was always his first stop.

The Camden County Board of Commissioners named him their employee of the month in July 1979, and friends noted his “wonderful legacy” and “big heart” on Facebook. One friend said: “I always cherish his leadership and wisdom.”

Franklin Harper Sr. was born Dec. 29, 1940. He grew up in Lawnside and was called Buster by childhood friends. He played baseball and softball as a boy and young man, and was a member of the Lawnside Junior Chamber of Commerce in the 1950s.

His father took him deep-sea fishing when he was young, and, although allergic to his catches, he collected dozens of rods and fished for the rest of his life. He studied culinary arts at Camden County Vocational School, now Camden County Technical School, in Pennsauken and worked several jobs before joining the county highway department. He retired from the department in 2003.

He met Elaine Scott through his sister, and they married in 1962, and had sons Franklin Jr., Michael, and Mark, and daughter Terri. “He was a great mentor,” said his son Franklin Jr. “He taught us about being a great parent and how to teach our own kids.”

Mr. Harper bought tools so he could lend them to neighbors and was active at Mount Zion United Methodist Church. He attended practically every sporting event in which his children participated, and his wife said: “He was always there for them and always there for me.”

He was friendly, smiled a lot, and told jokes, friends said. “He was supportive, funny, and selfless,” said his son Michael. A former neighbor said on Facebook: “He was a great person to look up to.”

His wife said: “We had a lot of fun and did things together. We had a great life.”

In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Harper is survived by 11 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, a sister, a brother, and other relatives. Three sisters died earlier.

Visitation with the family is to be at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 20, at Haddonfield United Methodist Church, 29 Warwick Rd., Lawnside, N.J. 08104. A celebration of his life is to follow at 11.