Page 30 - May 2018 FOP Magazine

Retired CPD Officer Karen Mercado (saluting) and her mother Dolores Si- manek (seated) honor their father and husband Eddie Simanek as his name is added to the Lodge 7 memorial.
UNFORGETTABLE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29
Emerald Society of the Chicago Police Department to the rous- ing rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner from Officer Kenyat- ta Gaines to an array of speakers offering the grandest support in the City, the service and ceremony provided a haven for fami- ly members to commune with their loved ones and members to salute their heroes.
Such moving moments to remember culminated when the amazingly courageous Grace Bauer pulled the tape to reveal the names of her father and the seven other officers inscribed on the memorial granite.
“The names engraved on the walls – to some they are just names. To us, they are our loved ones,” empathized Lodge 7 President Kevin Graham, who headlined the dignitaries speak- ing at the ceremony.
“They all have one very important attribute in common: they are Chicago Police Officers. They are the City of Chicago’s he- roes,” President Graham continued. “We placed their names in granite to ensure they would be preserved in stone and with reverence now and forever. They were the finest Chicago Police Department had to offer, and they were the finest people that entered heaven.”
Words of support
Joining Graham with consoling words were Superintendent Eddie Johnson, former superintendent and Chicago Police Me- morial Foundation (CPMF) Executive Director Phil Cline, FOP Family Auxiliary President Angie Haynes, 100 Club of Chicago CEO Joe Ahern and Chicago Police chaplains Father Dan Brandt and Rabbi Moshe Wolf.
They seemed to speak heartfeltly and directly to Erin and Grace; Dolores Simanek and her daughter Karen Mercado, a re- cently retired CPD officer; Denise Domagala, the wife of Officer Bernie Domagala, who suffered for 29 years from a traumatic brain injury caused by being shot when responding to a robbery before passing last September; and Jennifer Van Vegten, whose father Andre fell this past Nov. 2 to injuries sustained in a crash 21 years ago. They spoke for Patrolman John C. Churchwood, Officer Austin Fitch, Captain Joseph Palczynski and Officer Ed- die Jackson, whose names were also etched on the Lodge 7 me- morial this year.
Rabbi Moshe set the vibe for the day by stating in his open- ing remarks, “We come here today to say thank you to the fam- ilies for letting us share your honored heroes.” Cline furthered the message of appreciation the service intended to make by
30 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2018
Erin Bauer and Denise Domagala (left side of photo) embrace during the Lodge 7 Memorial Service to honor their husbands, who were lost in the line of duty this past year.
reiterating what is inscribed on the plaques at the entrance to Gold Star Families Memorial and Park near Soldier Field, where names of fallen and catastrophically injured Chicago Police Of- ficers are also inscribed:
“It is not how these officers died that made them heroes,” Cline repeated. “It’s how they lived.”
That’s another important attribute the honored officers have in common. And as the inspirational messages continued from speakers on the podium, Cline shared a story about how he and other members of the CPMF go out to meet with families of the fallen and catastrophically injured and the request they get that inspires the Lodge 7 Memorial Service.
“The one thing that every spouse says before we leave is, ‘Please don’t let my husband or wife be forgotten,’” Cline noted. “And that’s why we’re doing what we’re doing today. And that’s what is so important about this ceremony.”
Superintendent Johnson represented the City and the De- partment, and he wanted to present a sentiment to confirm that these officers’ legacies will never be forgotten. And one that spoke to, and on behalf of, Department officers.
“They gave their lives doing what they loved to do,” Johnson began. “That’s the foundation, the bedrock of public service. That’s important to never forget what they did, what their fam- ilies did, to let them serve the City we all love. And I and the 13,000 police officers of this City thank you for the sacrifice you made because we understand.”
When expressing thanks to the officers and the families for their courage, service and sacrifice, Ahern added another note of gratitude underlining the importance and impact of the cer- emony.
“I want to pay a special thanks to the FOP for hosting this event every single year,” he said. “It brings us together to remember.”
The art of remembering
Remembrance gained an unexpected and illustrious expres- sion at the Lodge 7 Memorial Service, when Gilbert McGuire made the presentation in honor of Commander Bauer. A labor relations coordinator for the union insurance company Ameri- can Income and the Northwest President of the American Fed- eration of Labor, Gilbert McGuire has an obvious allegiance to the FOP that started with her husband being a member.
Eugene, who once partnered with Chicago Police Offi- cer-turned-actor Dennis Farina, served in 016 with Lodge 7 Trustees Ken Hauser, Daniel Trevino and Mike Underwood. They all have continued to check in on her, as all Chicago Police Officers tend to a police wife who has lost her husband.