CPD officer Conrad Gary’s funeral: ‘He embodied honor, loyalty and integrity’

Hundreds of Chicago Police officers lined up on the lawns of St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel Friday morning to pay their respects to fallen Officer Conrad Gary.

Gary, 31, was one of two officers struck by a South Shore Line train Monday night as he was pursuing a shooting suspect on the city’s Far South Side.

He was reliable, loved to help, never hesitated to do so and “embodied honor, loyalty and integrity,” CPD chaplain the Rev. Dan Brandt said during the funeral Mass, which was led by Cardinal Blase Cupich.

The casket with the remains of Officer Conrad Gary is carried out of the church. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

1 of 10

Chicago Police Honor Guard outside the church. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

2 of 10

The hearse turns onto Western Ave. to join the procession to the cemetery. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

3 of 10

A button memorializes Officer Conrad Gary at his funeral Friday. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

4 of 10

Gov. Rauner, Mayor Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson exit the church. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

5 of 10

An attendee holds a program at the funeral for Officer Gary. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

6 of 10

Superintendent Eddie Johnson pauses at the casket. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

7 of 10

Police officers embrace at the funeral for Officer Conrad Gary. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune, Pool)

8 of 10

The casket of Chicago police Officer Conrad Gary is brought into the churchl. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune, Pool)

9 of 10

Police officers bow their heads during the funeral. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

10 of 10

“He was, as one person said last night, a plain old, genuinely nice person,” Brandt said. “When backup was needed, or transport was needed, when a fellow officer needed help, he was there.”

Gary, who grew up in Oak Lawn, spent five years working as an Air Force police officer and spent an additional year in the Air Force Reserve. He joined the Chicago Police Department just 18 months ago.

The South Sider had only had one character flaw, Brandt joked: he was a diehard Cubs fan.

Programs for the service were filled with photos of Gary with friends and family — both his brothers in blue, and his wife Kelly and their baby daughter Tess.

“Kelly, I speak for the whole city of Chicago when I say that we wish nothing more than that Conrad had more time on Earth with you and Tess,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “Everything Conrad Gary did, he did for others.”

Speaking after the service, CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson said the department and the city owed it to Gary’s 6-month-old daughter to keep his memory alive.

“Officer Gary leaves behind an infant daughter who will never have a conscious memory of her dad — she’ll just have pictures and stories,” Johnson said. “It’s just important for us … to ensure that we never forget Officer Gary. He died a hero, he died doing exactly what we asked him to do and that’s protect the citizens of the city.”

Fellow officers recalled “a good guy” whose time in the line of duty was cut tragically short.

Officer Mark Mayer, who worked with Gary in the Calumet District, called him “an A++ guy” at the funeral mass Friday.

“His parents should be proud of the person he became,” Mayer said. “It was an honor to work with him.”

Jeffrey Curia, one of Gary’s field training officers, said he showed signs of promise early in his police career.

“I believed in him and I believed he would be an important part of the police department,” Curia said.

Mary Conroy, a family friend, called Gary’s death “tragic.”

“I’m here to support my friend and show them I’m here for them and I’m sorry for their loss,” Conroy said.

Hours after the funeral, hundreds of Chicagoans continued mourning with visitation for Officer Eduardo Marmolejo, Gary’s partner at the time of the the incident.

The officers were searching for a suspected gunman on the Metra tracks Monday evening near 103rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue when they were hit from behind and killed instantly by a southbound South Shore Line train.

During Friday’s funeral Emanuel, Johnson and Gov. Bruce Rauner all noted the hard year that has befallen the police department, with four on-duty deaths. Barely a month ago, Officer Samuel Jimenez was killed in a gunfight during an active shooter situation at Mercy Hospital, and in February, Cmdr. Paul Bauer was killed while trying to arrest a gunman outside the Thompson Center downtown.

Provided

Gary and Marmolejo were both with the Calumet District, which has had an especially rough year. Two Calumet officers died by suicide in the parking lot of the station earlier this year, and another had a heart attack while working in the station.

Marmolejo’s funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, again at the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, adjacent to St. Rita High School, 7740 S. Western Ave.

RELATED

• Death of officers who were family men leaves city heartbroken

• Fallen police officer’s father grieves: He was the greatest kid ever

• $200K bail for man accused of firing gun on tracks where 2 officers killed

• Shocking train tragedy highlights the dangers police officers face

• Officers hit by train caught unaware when sound of one train ‘drowned out’ other