Garfield’s Dave Ulrick will end 30 plus years of city service

Garfield’s Dave Ulrick is stepping into retirement after more than 30 years of volunteering and working for the town.

“He’s Mr. Garfield. He’s just been fabulous over the years,” said Garfield City Clerk Annie Pillars.

Ulrick, who has been the city public works supervisor since 1995, will work his last day Aug. 31. His public retirement party will be Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. in the town park.

Since moving to Garfield in 1973, Ulrick has been a farmer, volunteer fire fighter, a town councilman, the town marshal and public works director.

“He’s a good guy, he’s a hard worker and he’s a good friend,” said long-time family friend Kathie Griner.

In an interview with the Gazette Aug. 23, Ulrick said he has enjoyed working for the town for so long.

“I’ve had the feeling a job is kind of like a marriage. You have good times, bad times, but everything works out,” Ulrick said.

Compact, wiry and with smile-driven wrinkles, Ulrick’s life of labor has slowly taken a toll on his body, which is why he is retiring.

Working on city water mains, mowing lawns and performing other city maintenance is wearing on his knees and back, he said.

Once he retires, he plans on spending more time experimenting with solar and wind power at his Garfield home.

Ulrick served as a volunteer fire fighter from 1976 to 2009.

In one fire call, he remembers standing next to a wall in his fireman gear when the fire tore through the wall and burned up most of his face shield.

“I have a face shield at home that’s all blackened and curled and peeled,” he said. He also remembers getting picked to pack in water to a fire.

After three trips up a flaming hill with the 40 pound pack, he remembers having second thoughts about volunteering for that specific task.

“Walking up and down the hill is the hard part,” he said with a laugh.

He remembers his years of service on the town council, from 1986 to 1991, as being more or less peaceful. City business for Garfield was less about politics and more about cut and dry day-to-day city maintenance.

“We just tried to keep the town going and not raise taxes as much,” he said.

Ulrick grew up in a military family and graduated from high school in Dayton, Ohio, in 1966. He joined the Air Force that same year and served four years in aircraft maintenance.

He met his wife Sue, nee Hathaway, while she was a student at Eastern State College (now EWU). They were married in 1967.

Five years later they moved to Garfield, where Sue was born and raised. From 1974 until 1995, they farmed Sue’s family land, 660 acres southwest of town.

In 1995, Ulrick went to work for the town.

“Leaving the farm and coming to the town was one of the best things I did with my life,” Ulrick said, pointing out the retirement he has accumulated from working for the town beats any retirement he would have made farming.

Sue and Dave have been married for 43 years. They have two daughters, Charlene Wagner and Cheryl Chilmen.