Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said it is always difficult but important when he reads the names of law enforcement officers who died while fulfilling their duties in Jefferson County.
On May 15, Marshak read the dozen names during the annual Jefferson County Law Enforcement Prayer Breakfast and Memorial Service in the Corpus Christi Event Center at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Imperial.
Former Sheriff Glenn Boyer started the annual breakfast in 1994.
“It is important to recognize those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice,” Marshak said. “It is hard because you are not only reading names, but you also recognize the families who were impacted. I take it as an honor to read those.
“It is always nice to see so many people from the community here for this. When you get this many people out to pay tribute to those who have passed and pray for those who are working, it serves as an important reminder for those who continue to serve today.”
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said 320 seats were sold for this year’s sold-out event.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway was the keynote speaker.
“It is very humbling because these men and women make the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us,” she said speaking at the event.
“It is a big honor to be in their presence and to be asked to speak at such a solemn occasion.”
Lt. Col. Tim Whitney, who is the undersheriff, emceed the event, and Melissa Lunsford, who is an administrative assistant with the Sheriff’s Office, sang the national anthem and The Lord’s Prayer. Chaplain Mike McGuire asked for a moment of silence and said the invocation at the start of the event, and Chaplain Julie Skaggs said the benediction at the end of the breakfast. Bill Velders played the bagpipes.
“The sacrifice that law enforcement makes every day and the names who we remember who lost their lives protecting our community needs to be remembered,” Whitney said. “Our community is safe and a great place where we can live, work and raise our families because of the sacrifices these families have made. I think it is important that we honor that sacrifice.
“Each year that we leave here it is a somber reminder for me, and we pray that we don’t add any more names to our list.”
The officers’ names Marshak read were: Marshall Willis Dearing of the De Soto Police Department, who died Dec. 16, 1897; Deputy Constable Conrad Straher of Rock Township, who died June, 3, 1930; Deputy Constable Wallace B. Caudle of Rock Township, who died Oct. 20, 1935; Chief Deputy Sheriff James H. Marsden of the Sheriff’s Department, who died July 11, 1957; Sheriff Leo E. Church of the Sheriff’s Department, who died May 2, 1960; Patrolman John H. LeCompte of the Arnold Police Department, who died Nov. 21, 1976; Patrolman Steven A. Jarvis of the Arnold Police Department, who died June 14, 1977; Deputy Terry O’Connell of the Sheriff’s Department, who died April 5, 1978; Deputy Willam Myers of the Sheriff’s Department, who died July 31, 1980; Deputy James Garrison of the Sheriff’s Department, who died July 3, 1982; Officer Stephen J. Strehl of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, who died Nov. 19, 1993, while working for a DEA task force in Jefferson County; and Jefferson College Police Chief Don Riffe, who died July 20, 2022.
Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon said the table set in the middle of the room for the fallen officers is one of the most significant aspects of the annual event.
“It really reflects the sentiment of what it means to lose somebody,” he said.
Mark Paul, who is a member of the Sheriff’s Office Merit Commission and Rock Township Ambulance District Board of Directors, said it is good that Jefferson County does not forget the sacrifices of the officers.
“First responders play an important role in the community,” he said. “It is touching to see the remembrance and respect given to them by having an event in 2026 that honors fallen service members for all of these years.”