HAMPTON -- Howard W. Stickney, 71, former chief of the Hampton Fire Department, died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at the Exeter Hospital following a brief illness.

He was born June 18, 1934, in Exeter, the son of William and Winifred (Bartlett) Stickney, and was a lifelong resident of Hampton. He attended Centre School, Hampton Academy, and graduated from Dover High School.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving from 1955 to 1960, including a tour of duty in Korea.

Chief Stickney rose through the ranks of the Hampton Fire Department, retiring on Jan. 1, 1980, after 27 years of service. He later worked 19 years for the Hampton Water Works Co.

He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Elizabeth (Cone) Stickney, of Hampton; two sons, Wayne Stickney of Dover and Randy Darling and his wife, Marcy, of Epping; two daughters, Lorraine Grassi and her husband, Tom, of Rochester and Jan Moran and her husband, Brian, of Hampton; five grandchildren, Jennifer Grassi, Brittany Moran, Sara Grassi, Jacob Grassi, and Christopher Moran; three sisters, Shirley Moller of Lexington, Ky., Phyllis Hefler of Springfield, Ohio and Thelma Jones of Versailles, Ky.; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, William P. Stickney, in 1991.

WE REMEMBER: He was a former member of St. James Lodge No. 102 F.& A.M. of Hampton, Bektash Temple Shrine in Concord, International Association of Fire Chiefs, NH Fire Chiefs Association, Seacoast Chief Officers Association and the Professional Firefighters Association of NH.

SERVICES: Calling hours will be held 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, in the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory, 811 Lafayette Road, Hampton. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, at the funeral home. Burial will be in the High Street Cemetery, Hampton. The family request that flowers please be omitted. If desired, donations may be made to the Shriners Burns Hospital, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114. For more information, visit www.remickgendron.com.

HAMPTON -- The town is mourning the loss of former Fire Chief Howard W. Stickney, who died Saturday at the age of 71.

A lifelong resident of Hampton, Stickney joined the Hampton Fire Department as a callman in 1952 and became a full-time firefighter in 1956.

He worked his way up the ranks and became chief in 1976, a position he held until his retirement in 1980 after 27 years of service to the town.

Friends and family will say their last goodbye to Stickney during a funeral service on Tuesday at Remick & Gendron Funeral Home.

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their four children.

Stickney died Saturday from an apparent heart attack.

Former Fire Chief William "Skip" Sullivan said Stickney was just a great guy who was dedicated to the town and his family.

"When I joined the fire department in 1968, I worked with Howard," Sullivan said. "He was the training officer and certainly taught me a lot about the job."

Sullivan said Stickney's death sadly came just a week after the death of another retired longtime Hampton firefighter. Lieutenant George H Lamott Jr. died Jan. 2 at the age of 65.

Stickney attended Centre School, Hampton Academy and graduated from Dover High School.

He graduated from North Shore Community College, Civil Defense Training Academy and the Southern Maine Technical Institute.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Army serving as platoon sergeant from 1955-1960, including a 17-month tour of duty in Korea.

After retiring from the Fire Department in 1980, Stickney worked 19 years with the Hampton Water Works Co.

"When I was chief and their was a major fire, Howard would show up as the on-call person for the water company," Sullivan said. "He was always a good source of information for water availability."

Stickney was a former member of the St. James Lodge, Bektash Temple Shrine in Concord, International Association of Fire Chiefs and the N.H. Fire Chiefs Association.