John Sammon, 90; chaplain to O.C. firefighters

Msgr. John Sammon, Orange County’s oldest priest and a chaplain to firefighters for more than 60 years, has died, church officials said Saturday. He was 90.

Sammon, who had been ill for two months, died Friday of unspecified natural causes at St. Norbert parish in Orange, according to a spokesman for the Diocese of Orange. “He was a very impressive person,” Ryan Lilyengren said. “He touched countless lives. Everyone loved him.”

Nicknamed the “Vicar for Invocations,” Sammon had served as vicar for pastoral and community affairs since 1976, when the diocese was formed, a position in which he officiated at a wide range of ceremonies.

“The man’s just incredible,” an announcer said at the 1993 dedication in Santa Ana of the Orange County Fire Service Monument which Sammon had conceived. “He is everywhere.”

Added Jeff Bowman, who was then chief of the Anaheim Fire Department and president of the Orange County Fire Chiefs Assn.: “He’s a guiding light for all of us. The man’s a legend.”

Born John Francis Sammon to a plumber and a homemaker in Pittsfield, Mass., on Dec. 10, 1915, he was introduced to Catholicism at St. Joseph’s parish, where he was baptized. Sammon attended College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., studying sociology and philosophy. Later he attended St. Mary’s Seminary in Roland Park, Md., where he was ordained in 1942.

During his years at St. Mary’s, the future priest had admired police and paramedics as they carried out their duties. When he was transferred Los Angeles, and later to Orange County in 1960, Sammon began ministering to local fire departments, eventually taking on virtually the county’s entire roster.

When more than two dozen state and local firefighters associations gave him a Cadillac in appreciation for his services in 1976, the priest reluctantly agreed to keep the gift under one condition: that it be inscribed on both sides with “Chaplain Fire Services.”

His extensive work with fire departments inspired creation of the annual Monsignor John Sammon Award to recognize young, future firefighters for outstanding achievement in programs that fostered safety and family involvement.

Sammon helped found the Newport-Mesa-Irvine Interfaith Council, and the National Conference for Community and Justice, and worked closely with the Orange County Burn Assn., the Sierra Club, the Catholic Daughters, the Boy Scouts of America and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

Outside his humanitarian work, Sammon was known for his love of the “Peanuts” character Snoopy and his sense of humor.

Father Steve Sallot, pastor of St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, still remembers his midnight chocolate binges while working at a rectory in college with Sammon. “He would have these late-night raids on the refrigerator,” Sallot said. “He would come out and say, ‘I think it’s time for some ice cream.’ ”

Sammon was also a skilled prankster. During a live radio show at a local station, Sallot recalled, “he would stand in front of us and do faces to make us laugh. He was always good for a prank.”

All jokes aside, Sallot said, Sammon only asked that people do their best. “His favorite line was: ‘Do your best and get out of God’s way.’ ”

Sammon retired about six weeks ago because of his failing health, but friends say his love for spreading the word of God never subsided. “He was there in our worst times to console us and offer a steady hand,” said Vince Bonacker, a retired Orange fire chief.

In a 1999 interview with The Times, Sammon expressed no regrets. “I love what I’m doing,” he said. “I’ll stay doing what I can, as long as I can. I don’t want to give it up. I’ve enjoyed every single day.”

yvonne.villarreal@latimes.com