Fairfield residents remember late mayor Mike Dreith

FAIRFIELD, Ill. (WFIE) - As Fairfield residents gathered at Maple Hill Cemetery for their annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, many were also mourning the loss of Mayor Mike Dreith.

According to a press release, Dreith died on Saturday of natural causes.

At the ceremony, 14 News spoke with Dave Land, who was head of the Memorial Day Honor Guard.

Land said he was close with Dreith.

“We were very dear friends,” Land explained. “He came to Fairfield in 1982 as the news director at the radio stations.”

That’s how they first met, and in the years since, Dreith worked as a teacher across the country before he eventually became mayor.

“He could do anything,” Land said. “He did a lot. He was just a real asset to the community, he was in the rotary club... He loved his community.”

Just last week, Dreith posted photos of their Memorial Day decorations and remarked on Facebook how wonderful his city looked.

This weekend, the Mayor will be buried at the same cemetery where the Memorial Day ceremony was held.

Land said he’ll be leaving behind more than just the legacy of his time as mayor.

“These next few days and weeks are going to be a struggle because I’ll probably pick up my phone to text him something, but hopefully I’ll think, ‘Well this won’t go through, at least not here,’” he said.

When Mike Dreith’s funeral is held, it will be his friend Dave Land who delivers the eulogy.

The funeral is planned to be held on Saturday.

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