George W. Sztykiel, co-founder of Spartan Motors, died on July 4, 2026, at age 96.
George was born in Zielonka, Poland, in 1929. A survivor of World War II, George emigrated to the United States in 1954, settling in Michigan. He built a career as an automotive engineer over 19 years at Chrysler, rising to assistant chief engineer of the Dodge heavy truck division, before moving to Diamond Reo Trucks in 1973.
After Diamond Reo filed for bankruptcy, George—alongside fellow engineers Bill Foster, Jerry Geary, and John Knox—founded Spartan Motors in 1975 and designed a specialized fire truck chassis. George’s son John recalls that suppliers leant the new company parts, trusted its leadership, and said, “When you sell the first one, pay us.” In 1976, FMC became the first company to purchase Spartan’s specialized fire truck chassis.
During George’s tenure at Spartan Motors, the company went public in 1984, launched the Fire Truck Training Conference in 1994, and branched into manufacturing complete fire apparatus solutions by acquiring Luverne Fire Apparatus, Ltd., and Quality Manufacturing, Inc. Today, this venture lives on as Spartan ER.
“George was an extraordinary visionary whose leadership helped shape our Spartan brands and the entire modern fire apparatus industry,” says Mike Virnig, president of the Terex Specialty Vehicles Segment. “His legacy will endure for generations to come.”
Throughout his time at Spartan, he led with the ethic of valuing each and every employee of the company. Fire departments across the country and generations of firefighters who rode and continue to ride on fire apparatus built on chassis his company engineered, are part of the legacy he leaves behind.
George is survived by his four children, fourteen grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren.
