Hundreds mourn loss of fallen Colorado trooper
Marist High School graduate died on dutyMarch 13 while assisting a driver
The sound of a police dispatcher calling for officer Dan Groves echoed through the sanctuary Saturday at St. Stephen Deacon and Martyr Church in Tinley Park, as hundreds of mourners listened.
Groves, a Worth native and Marist High School graduate, did not respond to that symbolic last call.
The dispatcher declared Groves had reached the end of his watch and thanked him for his service to the state of Colorado. Dozens of police officers who attended the memorial service stood in silence with their heads bowed and hats removed.
Groves’ end of watch came on March 13, when he was struck and killed while on duty by a driver who lost control in blizzard conditions. Groves, who was a corporal with the Colorado State Patrol, had exited his vehicle to assist a driver who slid off Interstate 76 near Roggen, Colo.
“We have to help people understand what’s at stake when they’re sitting behind the wheel of a car,” said Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, who gave an eulogy during the service in Tinley Park.
Groves’ death comes in the wake of a spike of Illinois State troopers being struck by vehicles. Sixteen troopers or their vehicles have been struck by other vehicles this year compared to the eight that were struck in 2018.
The latest fatality happened near north suburban Libertyville during the early morning hours Saturday, when Trooper Gerald Ellis, 36, was struck and killed by a vehicle.
Although not a member of the Illinois State Police, Groves, 52, still had ties to the Chicago area. Many of his family members live in the area.
Groves had a successful career in information technology but felt the need to pursue his dream of becoming a police officer at age 40, family members said.
They said he had applied for positions with Illinois State Police and Michigan state police, but itwas the Colorado departmentwho accepted him.
“He alwayswanted to do this,” said Groves’ sister, Peggy Boyle.
Early in his career in Colorado, Groves had worked in their information technology department but he desired to be “on the road” and working patrol, Packard said.
His wish was granted, and he did his job with a joyful heart, he said.
Chris Remington, a longtime friend of Groves, recalled that police administrators would tell him how drivers, who were pulled over by Groves, often wrote on their tickets that “the officer who pulled me over was so nice.”
At the start of the memorial service, Packard greeted the roughly 75 police officers waiting outside the church and led them into the church, along with a bagpipe player, while carrying Groves’ ashes in a varnished box.
The officers hailed from several area police departments and were joined by several members of the Illinois State Police.
“We’re here to show respect and appreciation for the work this officer did,” said Illinois State Police Lt. JimHarris. “This is a tragic loss for both Colorado and Illinois.”
Groves’ brother-in-law, Chuck Romeo, who works for the Brookfield Fire Department, helped secure the use of a Brookfield firetruck that, along with a Tinley Park firetruck, hoisted a giant American flag near the entrance of the church.
Packard said Groves built lifelong friendships all over Colorado. People should learn from his exampleby always appreciating those they love, he said.
“Colorado is a better place because of Dan Groves,” he said.