Obituary
Longtime firefighter, union leader Roger Tamietti dead at 61
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Roger Tamietti
Roger Tamietti, a longtime Tucson firefighter and former president of the Tucson Fire Fighters Association and part of a large clan of TFD personnel, died Wednesday morning at age 61.
Tamietti joined the Tucson Fire Department in January 1984, online records of the Tucson Fire Foundation show. He was promoted to paramedic in 1988, and became a captain in 2005. He was tapped to be president of Local 479 of the International Association of Fire Fighters union in 2006.
He retired in 2015, after 32 years with the department.
"Roger selflessly served his community on the Tucson Fire Department for over 30 years," the Tucson Fire Fighters Association said. Roger touched the lives of countless people both on and off the job. He was a friend, a mentor and a true leader. We are at a loss for words right now. We ask you to please keep the Tamietti family in your prayers. The world has lost a great man."
Tamietti died of complications following a surgery for cancer removal, the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona said.
He is survived by his wife Suzi, sons Dustin and (Roger) Sloan, daughters Erika Tamietti Rios, Lindsey Tamietti, Candice Tomlinson and Arlee Jones, and 19 grandchildren.
He was part of a large family of local firefighters, as the brother-in-law of Tom and Bruce Elam. More than a dozen members of the Elam family have worked for TFD. Sons Dustin and Sloan both joined the Tucson Fire Department.
A public memorial service will be held Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 10 a.m. at the Sahuarita School District Auditorium, 50 W. Sahuarita Rd. Internment will follow at McGee Ranch Cemetery
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