Now 87 years of age and fully retired, former Mathews Sheriff’s Deputy Byron “Sarge” Van Zile Jr. spent 64 years of his life in uniform, always seeking to “have respect for what the uniform stands for.”
Born in Ithaca, New York, in 1937, Van Zile was brought up on Cayuga Lake, one of five finger lakes near Lake Ontario. He remembers a childhood with no radio or television, when children helped out at home and found ways to entertain themselves. He was always on the water, and at age 14 became a Sea Scout, beginning his lifelong dedication to “the uniform.”
At 16, Van Zile joined the Ithaca Volunteer Fire Department, serving alongside his father, and went on to join two other fire departments, Dryden and Etna, serving as assistant chief at the latter. To this day, Van Zile remains an honorary member of the Ithaca Veteran Volunteer Firemen’s Association.
After graduating from high school at age 18, Van Zile was off to the U.S. Navy, where he served four years as an aviation jet mechanic ...