‘I LOST … MY EVERYTHING’
Delco law-enforcement community again stunned by loss of an officer
The family of Christopher Senkow gathers at a family event in this recent file photo. From left are his father, retired Clifton Heights Chief Walter Senkow; the chief’s wife, Bonnie; Senkow’s wife Sara, holding son Hunter; maternal grandmother Mimi Smith; and Officer Senkow. Christopher died suddenly earlier this week.
For the second time in recent months, law enforcement families throughout Delaware County are mourning one of their own, a second-generation police officer who cared about people and their communities long before he started wearing a uniform.
Chester Police Officer Christopher Senkow, 32, was stricken Saturday at his home in the Boothwyn section of Upper Chichester. His wife, Sara, and their 11-month-old son, Hunter, were at home when she found him, unresponsive.
“I lost my best friend, my husband, the father of my child, and my everything,” Sara Senkow posted Sunday morning on Facebook. “Chris went into respiratory arrest out of nowhere and there was nothing that could’ve been done.”
Based on preliminary findings by the Delaware County Medical Examiner’s office, he apparently suffered a pulmonary respiratory event, the cause of which has not yet been determined, according to retired Clifton Heights Police Chief Walter Senkow, Chris’ father.
It’s stunning news to the closeknit county law enforcement community. In March, Newtown Police Sgt. Clinton Cunningham died from a cerebral hemorrhage, a day after he was stricken while working out a gym. A married father of four, he was 37.
“As sad as I am and as much crying as I’ve done, I have the selfsatisfaction that every time we talked, every time we said goodbye, we said we loved each other,” the grief-stricken father said Monday night. “He knew, and I knew, how much we loved each other.”
Chester Police Commissioner Otis Blair said the department, as well as the entire city, lost a dedicated officer. Blair was proud to be his boss.
In addition to working the midnight shift on C Platoon, Chris was a member of the Search and Rescue Dive Team. He was SWAT certified, a Combat Cross Award winner, and a member of the William Penn Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 19.
“The past couple days have been a very difficult and sad period of time for the Chester Police Department, and the community. Officer Senkow, whose shoes are going to be hard to fill, was a wonderful, caring guy, who was always concerned about everyone’s well-being and safety, no matter if you were a cop or a bad guy he was placing under arrest.
“He was always will to do the job,” the commissioner said. “Chris will be sorely missed.”
A change in plan
Raised in Springfield, Chris was the only child of Walter, a 31year veteran of law enforcement, and Bonnie Smith Senkow, a retired teacher for the William Penn School District, where she worked for 38 years. His was a most welcome arrival for the couple, who had lost a previous child to a miscarriage at eight-and-a-half months.
With Chris, his mother said, “We were over the moon. We probably spoiled him a little too much.”
But there were times even she would admit how sorry she felt for him - being the son of a cop and a teacher, a double whammy and the expectations that came along with it.
Chris attended Scenic Hills Elementary and E.T. Richardson Middle schools. After graduating in 2004 from Springfield High School, he went to East Stroudsburg University with plans to become a teacher.
But along the way, he changed his major to Exercise Science, which extended his stay to a fifth year.
“Then, he decided to become a police officer,” his father said.
“I got a phone call one day, ‘Dad, what do I have to do to be a cop?” the elder Senkow recalled.
Of course, there was the obligatory exchange about how he could have saved his parents a lot of money had he made that decision sooner – a quip Chris would have expected from his dad, given they shared a similar sense of humor.
“Fine,” his father said he ultimately responded, “But you are going to tell your mom.”
Bonnie Senkow recalled standing amid 150 students in the Penn Wood Middle School cafeteria when her phone rang one day. It was Chris.
“Mom, mom, I know you are at work. I just signed up for the police academy,” he told her.
“OK. But you are going to tell your father,” she responded.
“He drove me,” Chris deadpanned.
Chris graduated from East Stroudsburg in May 2009. He began the Delaware County Municipal Police Academy in July and graduated in December. Before long, he was a part-time police officer in Collingdale. When Chris was sworn in, his mom held the Bible and his dad pinned on his badge.
Former Collingdale Police Chief Robert Adams recalled hiring Chris.
“He was unique, down-toearth, a great kid,” Adams said. “He always had a smile on his face.”
Like his father, Chris was an avid hunter. He was also a trout fisherman and bowman, and a member of Tyler Arboretum.
Chester proud
Chris joined the Chester Police Department on Nov. 15, 2010, coming from Collingdale.
“I thought Chester would be a stepping stone,” his dad said.
But the city, and the community, quickly grew on Chris. And watching him thrive on the job offered many proud parent moments.
“Because of his personality, I always knew that not only would he love the job, the people would love him too,” his dad said.
“He lived it. He breathed it. He absolutely loved being a police officer,” said fellow Chester Police Officer A.J. Grenier. People often confused Grenier and Senkow as twins.
Grenier was working overtime when he got the stunning word
about Senkow’s death.
Monday night, Grenier reminisced a bit about his friendship with Senkow, taking a break from his task of polishing the brass on the uniform that he will be wearing as part of the honor guard at Senkow’s funeral.
Senkow was open about his feelings toward people. He would run up and hug a friend he hadn’t seen in a while, and he was always quick to tell a friend that he loved them.
Senkow was proud of his Ukrainian heritage. He “adored” his family – his wife, son, parents and his grandmother he referred to as “MiMom.” He had a soft spot for homeless dogs. He had hopes of becoming a city narcotics officer, and he was thinking about taking the corporal test the next time it was offered by the department.
Grenier said Senkow, a former housemate, had a secret marinade for steak that was out of this world. Noting they had talked on the phone the night before, Grenier recalled Senkow’s last words to him: “Give me a call tomorrow, bud.”
Cliché aside, Senkow was the guy who really would give you the shirt off his back.
“He was just the nicest, most kind-hearted people you will ever meet,’ Grenier said.
Fellow Chester Police Officer Ryan Stewart was hired by the city the same time as Senkow.
“He was badge 298. I’m 299,” Stewart said.
When Chris and Sara married in September 2016, Stewart and Grenier were among the groomsmen, along with city Officer Ricci Pyle. Senkow’s cousin, Josh, who was like his brother, served as his best man.
Theirs was a tight band of brothers, on and off the job.
Grenier was thrilled when Sara and Chris became a couple. He had gotten to know Sara through their service with separate volunteer fire companies, and thought she was a great person.
The Senkow couple even bought their Boothyn home from Stewart’s parents, the house where Ryan grew up.
Given her job as a dispatcher for Delaware County Emergency Services, Chris would often tease about his wife, “She tells me what to do at home, and she tells me what to do at work,” Walt Senkow said.
But Chris couldn’t have been a prouder husband, or father.
“When Hunter came along, to him, it was the greatest thing that ever happened,” his father said.
‘My heart dropped’
Ryan Stewart was passing by his old house on his way to the Kenny Chesney concert Saturday when he noticed an ambulance and two Upper Chichester police cars in the driveway. He made a quick phone call and was told there was DOA at the house.
When he found out the person was Chris, he said, “My heart just dropped.”
Throughout Saturday and in the days since, many friends turned to Facebook to express their sadness and offer condolences to Chris’ families, both blood and badge.
Fellow officers, too, shared messages.
“Watch over us brother,” wrote one officer, “we’ll take care of things here.”
In tribute to their comrade, Chester officers including Blair, Grenier, Pyle, Jon Ross, Kyle Battinieri, Brian Boerger, and Maj. Steven Gretsky escorted his body from the Medical Examiner’s office to the Williams Lombardo Funeral Home.
Funeral services are being held at St. John Fisher Church, 4225 Chichester Ave. in Boothwyn, with visitation from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, and after 9 a.m. Friday, with Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Burial will be in SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to the Christopher Senkow Memorial Fund, c/o William Penn FOP Lodge 19, P.O. Box 820, Chester, PA 19013.