William Allen Fritts Sr., of Old Saybrook, Conn., formerly of Durham, passed away on March 18, 2019, at age 68. 

Allen was born in Chattanooga, Tenn., to Ruth and Turk Fritts on June 6, 1950. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Pam Fritts; son William Allen Fritts Jr. of Raleigh, N.C.; daughter Patricia Poulin and her husband Richard of Northford, Conn; Wesley Fritts of Atlanta; and two grandchildren, Nicholas and Catherine Poulin.

He is also survived by his brother Vance Turk Fritts Jr. and his wife Donna of Columbus, Ohio; and his sister Ruth Gaziano and her husband Chuck of Atlanta. Allen also had several nieces and nephews.

Allen graduated from Druid Hills High School and then attended TMI.  He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, and was honorably discharged. After his military service, Allen began his career in the fire alarm industry in Atlanta. His career took him to Texas, New York and finally Connecticut. He retired from more than 30 years of service with Honeywell in 2013, after serving as vice president of sales, and president. He received many honors and awards throughout his career including Honorary Deputy Chief from the Fire Department of the City of New York.

Allen was dedicated to the Durham Volunteer Fire Company, and served his community faithfully for 20 years as secretary and chaplain. His devotion and love of the department, its members and the town of Durham will always be remembered by those whose lives he touched. Allen achieved great professional success throughout his life, but he was most proud of time spent with friends and the devoted personnel of the department. He will be deeply missed.

Celebration of Allen’s life will be held at the Durham Volunteer Fire Department on Thursday, March 21, from 4 to 8 p.m. Graveside service will be held in Chattanooga, Tenn., at a future date. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Allen’s memory may be made to the Durham Volunteer Fire Company, P.O. Box 154, Durham, CT  06422. — Contributed by his friend, Alan Forman, Altronix