HAVERHILL - John J. Landers, 64, passed away peacefully at his home in Haverhill the morning of April 21. He was the son of James W. Landers and Cecilia C. Landers, both of whom predeceased him.

John is survived by his only daughter, Dana J. Zukas, who resides in Michigan with her husband Michael. John and Dana maintained a special bond and she remains very proud of her father's many accomplishments. He also leaves his brother Mark S. Landers and his wife Sheila of Haverhill, and their two sons Christopher J. Landers and his wife Kimberlee and Benjamin P. Landers. Chris and Ben idolized their uncle and enjoyed every conversation with him for both his wit and knowledge.

John was a Haverhill Deputy Fire Chief who spent his life protecting others and prided himself on his Fire Fighting career and business accomplishments. Appointed to the Haverhill Fire Department in September of 1976, he served as the tiller driver on Ladder 3 before being promoted to Lieutenant in 1978. At 25 years old, he was both the youngest Lieutenant in Massachusetts Fire history as well as the quickest to achieve that rank. He was later promoted to Captain and finally Deputy Fire Chief where he served many years before retiring in 2002 at the age of 49. His stellar career included being the recipient of Fire Fighter of the Year in 1983, for saving a disabled woman from a house fire on Kenoza Avenue.

He was a 1971 graduate of Central Catholic High School and in 1975 he graduated from Merrimack College with honors. He was the past President of the Ridge Runners Club in Haverhill and an avid boater. He lectured at and taught a number of courses at the Massachusetts Fire Academy and Salem State College including Arson Investigation, EMT Instruction and Command Leadership. After his retirement from the Haverhill Fire Department he pursued a number of interests including NASCAR where he served as an infield EMT for the Daytona 500. He also kept a number of homes in Daytona for the specific purpose of following racing. Additionally, he volunteered over 5,000 hours at the Volusia County Maintenance Garage where he worked on and transported county vehicles. Later in his life, he built houses largely as a hobby. He held a Massachusetts Master Sprinkler's License as well as Construction Supervisor's License. It is important to note that he had a number of close friends whom he loved as family and who supported him. These include Jay Davidowicz whom he referred to as his brother, William O'Boyle his good friend and Robert Driscoll, someone who was both a friend and father to him. In his later years, his loving friendship with Robin Bragdon sustained and encouraged him. Her caring and love for him was unparalleled. John will be dearly missed. It is some comfort to know that he passed quickly and painlessly and can now be reunited with his parents.

Visiting hours will be Tuesday, April 25 in the Driscoll Funeral Home, 309 So. Main Street, Haverhill from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. Services with Haverhill Fire Department Honors will begin Wednesday morning in the funeral home at 9:00 AM. Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Sacred Hearts Church, 165 So. Main Street, Haverhill at 10:00 AM. Burial will follow in the Haverhill Firefighters Section of Linwood Cemetery, Haverhill. For online guestbook, please visit www.driscollcares.com