Second Fallen CPD Officer Eduardo Marmolejo Laid To Rest

CHICAGO, IL -- A stoic Rebeca Marmolejo got up before a packed church Saturday to eulogize her father, CPD Officer Eduardo Marmolejo, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this week.

It was the second funeral in as many days at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, where Chicago police officers and another heartbroken family gathered to say goodbye to a husband, father, son and brother. Marmolejo, 36, and fellow officer Conrad Gary, 31, were fatally hit by a commuter train on Dec. 17 while pursuing a suspect reportedly shooting a gun on near the railroad tracks on the city’s Far South Side.

“Hi, Dad, I miss you so much," Rebeca, 15, said, reading a letter she penned to her father. “I have so much to say and now there's no time. "Not to hug or ever see you again breaks my heart into a million pieces. You always had faith in me, and that kept me going. Now that you’ve clocked out, it’s my turn to cover the shift.”

>>> Fallen CPD Officer Conrad Gary Laid To Rest

She told the assembled mourners to “be kind and live with no regrets,” to a standing ovation.

Prior to becoming a Chicago police officer, Marmolejo was an ER technician at Advocate Christ Medical Center, before he became a Chicago police officer.

Marmolejo was hailed as a humble hero who had already been recognized with department commendations in his short, two-half-a-years as a Chicago police officer.

"Humble people are giants," CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson said. "Eduardo was an exemplary officer whose selflessness and sense of duty he displayed early this week."

There was also laughter during the service, when Johnson spoke of how “Lalo,” as his friends and family called him, would take videos of his pit bull Champ pooping every day and text them to his wife, siblings and other relatives.

Addressing the fallen officer’s daughters, Johnson told them that their dad was a hero.

"We will begin healing with you. … You are not alone,” Johnson said.

The fallen officer was laid to rest at Bethania Cemetery in Justice, ending a long, sad and weary week for the Chicago Police Department and for the rest of the city.

~ Abel Uribe | Chicago Tribune Pool Photo | Associated Press