Retired Homer Township Fire Protection District Chiefs Michael Schofield and William Bonnar will receive a final farewell Wednesday when the two will be honored at a celebration.

Schofield and Bonnar, who are Orland Park residents and are battalion chiefs for the Orland Fire Protection District, gave up double-duty service when they both retired from Homer in January after 20 years of service each. They will be honored from 1 to 3 p.m. at Station 1, 16050 S. Cedar Road in Lockport.

According to an announcement sent out by the district, when they joined the district in 1992, it was “on the brink of collapse.” Bonnar was named chief and teamed with Schofield to help the district receive more than $2 million in grant funding over the years and to help it survive as the area grew. Bonnar gave up the chief’s role to Schofield in 2002 and Schofield took over while Bonnar took over as deputy chief.

The two positions were part-time jobs and after Schofield and Bonnar announced their retirement last year, the district hired Robert Tutko as a full-time chief in January.

Bonnar said it was “time to slow down” after Tutko’s swearing-in ceremony and Schofield said the district had grown to the point where it needed a full-time chief.