Chesapeake, VA  –  Hilary Leonard Chester went home to be with his Lord at the age of 92 on January 8th, 2018.

Hilary, who went by the nickname “Lon” or “Lonnie,” was born on November 23rd, 1925 in

Massachusetts. He was the youngest in the family of three boys.

Lon joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 17 to fight in World War 2. He was stationed in

Norman Oklahoma, a Naval Air Base that trained new pilots. He was trained as an Aviation

Machinists Mate and became part of the Fire Fighting Crew. When the war was over, he

returned home and met the love of his life at Walden’s Pond, Beverly Kinney. Lon joined the

Cambridge Fire Department as the Pump Truck Operator on Engine 4, where he dedicated

over 25 years of his life. Once retired, Lon and Peggy moved to Palm Coast, Florida. Lon

took up golf and played in many senior leagues. Even though he only used three clubs, he

won numerous golf tournaments. He was also a member of the New England Club and

the Elks Club alongside Peggy. Lon and Peggy were together for well over a half a century,

until his passing.

As a young man, Lon was a fun-loving guy who got along with all. When his children were

little, Lon would play baseball with them and the other neighborhood children in the middle

of Camp Street. All the kids in the neighborhood thought he was the greatest father ever.

Lon is missed by many.

Lon was also a bit of an inventor, and he was very proficient at his job. Lon earned a number

of awards, and would spend hours of time memorizing street maps because there was no

GPS at that time. In the early 1970’s, he invented the “Hydrant Ring” – a metal disc which

marked fire hydrants that were broken or out of service. He was tired of hooking fire hoses

up to broken hydrants, only to find they were broken and then sadly watch buildings burn

down due to lost time. Lon’s “Hydrant Ring” was simply a round disc that said, “OUT OF

SERVICE,” and his invention saved thousands of lives. He donated his idea “free of charge”

to the world and was immortalized on the cover of “Fire Fighter’s Magazine,” a national

trade magazine for fire fighters.

Lon was preceded in death by his parents, Adolph Chester and Stella Chester, as well as

his son, Drew Wayne Chester. At the time of his passing, he is survived by his wife

Beverly (Peggy) Jean Chester, his son Dolph Jay Chester, his grandchildren Denise B.

Chester, Michael D. Chester, Aaron W. Chester, and Alexandria (Lexie) G. Chester; and

great granddaughters Emma G. Gwaltney and Eliana S. Martin.

A memorial service with honors will be held at Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans

Cemetery, Suffolk, VA on Monday, October 6, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. and both Lon and Beverly

will be placed together in the Columbarium following.  The Cremation Society of Virginia,

Chesapeake Office, is assisting the family during this difficult time. Friends and family are

invited to share their condolences and memories online at www.vacremationsociety.com.