Memorial Service Honors Bucks County's Fallen Officers

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The bell rang 16 times - one for each of the Bucks County law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty while protecting and serving their communities.

With heads bowed, dozens of law enforcement officers, family of the fallen officers, and members of the public gathered Monday at Saint Andrew Church in Newtown Township to pay tribute to those who lost their lives while in service to the community.

Officers from throughout the county, including Newtown Township and Newtown Borough, Falls, Bensalem, Bristol, Lower Makefield, Warrington, Warminster, Quakertown and others participated in the evening service, which was held in conjunction with National Police Week.

Monsignor Michael Picard, presiding over his final police memorial service before entering into retirement, offered an opening prayer seeking peace for the victims and their families.

"Open the gates of paradise to your servants," prayed Monsignor Picard, "and help us who remain to comfort one another with the assurances of faith."

(Photo by Jeff Werner)

(Photo by Jeff Werner)

Retired Police Chief Steven Mawhinney, the chaplain of the Police Chief's Association of Bucks County, offered acknowledgement of survivors and spoke about those who gave their lives in service to the county.

"We are here tonight to honor the fallen heroes of our community, the officers who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe. They paid a heavy price. We stand in awe of their courage and commitment," said Mawhinney.

"Tonight is about them. And tonight is also about families and loved ones they left behind," he continued. "The loss cuts deep and we share in that grief. These officers may be gone, but their memories burn bright in the lives of everyone who knew them. We can't bring them back, but we can honor their sacrifice."

As Mawhinney completed his remarks, the strains of "Going Home" performed by the Irish Thunder Pipes & Drums, filled the sanctuary as three chiefs of police - Dan Friel of Warrington, Steve Mawhinney, and Mark Schmidt of Upper Makefield - and the vice president of FOP Lodge 53, Daniel Boyle - stepped to the microphone to read the names of the fallen.

As each name was read, officers filed to the front of the sanctuary to place a memorial hat on a table in memory of each of the Bucks County officers who died in the line of duty.

One of those hats represented Pennsylvania State Constable Erwin Mondeau, the county's earliest known officer killed in the line of duty on Feb. 23, 1898. Mondeau was shot and killed in Doylestown as he and another constable attempted to arrest a man on a bench warrant for robbery.

Another hat was for Henry Kolbe, who died in Doylestown on Sept. 22, 1914.

Kolbe, a state constable in Doylestown, had been called to apprehend an 18-year-old man suspected of having stolen $48 from the office of Harrington H. Rosenberger and having forged a check for $75 on J.W. Stilwagon & Son.

Kolbe was shot and killed while escorting the forgery suspect to the Bucks County Prison on Pine, which is now the Michener Art Museum. On West Ashland near Clinton Street, the 18-year-old youth took out a .38-caliber revolver and shot Kolbe through the heart.

"We just heard the names of 16 officers who comprise this year's Roll Call of Heroes dating back to 1898," said Warrington Police Chief Daniel Friel. "As we listened to those names, we remembered the courage with which they lived and worked.

"Joining together tonight we show appreciation for their heroism and recognize that our public safety, our freedom and our prosperity are brought at a price," he said. "Tonight we give thanks for the special courage of those who have fallen. May we honor their sacrifice with our continued work to keep our communities safe."

The 16 fallen officer memorialized during Monday's service are:

• Pennsylvania State Constable Erwin Mondeau, Feb. 23, 1898
• Pennsylvania State Constable Henry A. Kolbe, Sept. 22, 1914
• Bucks County Sheriff Abraham L. Kulp, Feb. 24, 1927
• Quakertown Police Officer Edward Shearer, July 20, 1936
• Dublin Borough Police Chief Eli M. Myers, Oct. 31, 1965
• Bristol Township Police Sergeant George M. Stuckey, March 29, 1972
• Bensalem Township Police Officer James K. Armstrong, April 15, 1975
• Bensalem Township Police Officer Robert A. Yezzi, Aug. 12, 1980
• Bucks County Deputy Sheriff George M. Warta Jr., Sept. 22, 1986
• Bucks County Deputy Sheriff Thomas A. Bateman, Sept. 22, 1986
• Bucks County Ranger Stanley E. Flynn, June 9, 1993
• Plumstead Township Police Officer Joseph Hanusey, May 18, 2002
• Newtown Borough Police Officer Brian Steven Gregg, Sept. 29, 2005
• Middletown Township Detective Christopher C. Jones, Jan. 29, 2009
• Bucks County Park Ranger Thomas Booz, June 6, 2020
• Warrington Township Police Officer Stephen Charles Plum Jr., May 16, 2022

The members of the Police Memorial Service committee. (Warrington Township Police Department)

Monsignor Michael Picard, who is retiring in June, is presented with a plaque for hosting the Police Memorial Service.

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