Buffalo Grove Community Remembers Jerod Loeb

Friends and family are remembering Jarod Loeb as a good friend who cared deeply about the Buffalo Grove community.

Loeb, 63, lost a battle with prostate cancer Oct. 9. He was a longtime community volunteer whose service included eight years on the Police and Fire Commission. He was a graduate of the Buffalo Grove Citizens Fire Academy, assisted with the fire department’s MDA Boot Drive and was a founding member of the Buffalo Grove CERT team. 

“He was one of the first people I met in Buffalo Grove,” said Fire Chief Terry Vavra, who was hired to lead the department in 2008.

“If he could go back and live his entire life, he’d be a fireman. He just enjoyed everything about it. He became part of our family. Part of us is gone today. It’s going to be hard," Vavra said. “I’m going to miss him. He was a good friend.” 

The fire department was such a large part of his life that Loeb and his wife, Sherri, chose to renew their wedding vows at the firehouse last year, their daughter Rebecca said.

“My dad loved Buffalo Grove and he said he would never move because he loved it here so much,” she wrote in an email to Patch.

Al Viehman, chairman of Buffalo Grove’s Police and Fire Commission, described Loeb as an “invaluable member” of the commission, which reviews the departments’ rules and regulations and assesses candidates for employment and promotions.

“We could always count on Jerod for his very objective opinions. He’s always been able to keep solid and look at all sides of the issues. I’m going to miss that, definitely,” Viehman said.

Vavra said about half of the fire department’s staff was either hired or promoted by the commission during Loeb’s tenure.

Loeb received the Heart of Buffalo Grove – Above and Beyond Award last year from the Buffalo Grove Chamber of Commerce for his service to the community.

“He’s just been such an important part of the community. It’s going to be a tremendous loss to the healthcare community, too,” Viehman said.

Loeb was the executive vice president for healthcare quality evaluation at the Joint Commission in Oak Brook for more than 19 years. He was involved in national and international initiatives associated with performance measurement and patient safety, including those of the National Quality Forum, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the International Society for Quality in Health Care and the World Health Organization.

A service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday at Shalom Memorial Funeral Home, 1700 W. Rand Road, Arlington Heights. 

In lieu of flowers, the Loeb family is asking for donations to a trust in Jerod Loeb’s memory. The funds will to be donated to the Buffalo Grove Fire Department.

Vavra said the department has not yet determined how the money will be used.