Petaluma firefighter remembered as friendly, outgoing

Sebastopol resident Mike Haberski got the most out of life, whether as a firefighter, a post-retirement job teaching firefighting, hanging out with friends and family, or cycling, hiking and sailing.

His friends are still reeling from his death June 7 while sailing on Clear Lake. They will be celebrating his life at a Wednesday service in Petaluma.

“This was so unexpected. We’re all just numb,” said Mike Ahlin, a close friend and retired Petaluma Fire Department battalion chief who worked with Haberski for three decades.

Born and raised in Lynwood, Los Angeles County, Haberski attended California State University, Long Beach, according to his LinkedIn page. He began his firefighting career in the southern Riverside County town of Norco, Ahlin said, before moving to Sonoma County with his wife, Jane, ?36 years ago and taking a job at the Petaluma Fire Department.

He remained there 30 years, working his way up the ranks to battalion chief, Ahlin said. Haberski became a certified firefighter instructor while with the Petaluma department, friends said. Following retirement in 2010, he worked as an instructor at the Santa Rosa Junior College Fire Academy and was a certified fire marshal instructor for the state. He traveled around the state teaching, making friends along the way.

Haberski made his classes entertaining as well as informative, making wry observances and cracking jokes.

“He just made everything fun,” said Jeff Holden, also a battalion chief with the Petaluma department.

Haberski had no trouble getting up in front of people, whether it was to speak to a group of firefighters or lip sync at a fundraiser, he said.

“He was a life of the party kind of guy,” Holden said. “If there was a (firefighting) function, he’d be there. If there was no MC, he’d grab a mic” and start talking.

Haberski also was caring and community-minded. He was a Big Brother before the birth of his son, Ben, of Santa Rosa, now a firefighter. He donated to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital. If anyone needed help, he was there, Ahlin said.

Haberski was athletic and in great physical shape, friends said. He enjoyed high-altitude hiking, backpacking and cycling. He would cycle in triathlons, getting others to do the swimming and running parts.

“He truly loved life and lived it to its fullest,” Ahlin said. “I don’t think Mike had a bucket list. He didn’t wait for nothing, he just went and did it.”

Haberski had been sailing for some 30 years and frequently went sailing alone on Clear Lake, his friends said.

He somehow ended up overboard while sailing his 25-foot boat. His body was recovered from the lake four days later.

“He’s sailed on the lake by himself a hundred times,” said Ahlin.

The memorial service for Haberski is 11 a.m., Wednesday at the Church of Christ in Petaluma.

Haberski is survived by his wife, Jane, of Sebastopol; son, Benjamin, of Santa Rosa; a brother, Stephen Haberski, of Ohio; and sisters Mary McGillicuddy of Templeton and Susan Haberski-Hurlburt and Laura Lederhos, both of Palmdale.