Beth Carter was her brother’s legal guardian for 37 years.
James B. Crowley was a Chicago Police office in 1987 when a drunk driver hit his patrol car as he responded to a call. Just 22 years old at the time, Crowley couldn’t walk or care for himself, so Carter stepped in as his primary caretaker. Crowley died in August at the age of 59.
“One of the very first thoughts I had was, ‘He’s going to be buried in a Chicago Police uniform,’” said his sister. “Wearing that uniform just symbolizes everything he stood for. He was a person that embodied honor, courage of conviction and lived his life in service of others.”
Now, Crowley and three other deceased officers are being honored; their names have been added to the memorial wall at Gold Star Families Memorial Park, east of Soldier Field. The inscribed names were unveiled during a ceremony Wednesday organized by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation.
The other three officers honored were Detective Todd C. Gillerlain, 48; Lt. Edward V. O’Neill; and probationary patrolman Benjamin F. Delvin, 28.
Gillerlain died in May 2020 after a blood clot formed following an injury he sustained while responding to a homicide. O’Neill suffered a fatal heart attack in November 1972 while working as part of a presidential nominee’s security detail. And Delvin died in November 1922 from injuries he sustained while responding to a paint factory fire.
At the end of Wednesday’s ceremony, family members of the honored officers received a flag from Bureau of Patrol Chief Jon Hein, then they pulled the tape off the memorial wall to reveal each officer’s name.
Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said all four officers’ deaths are reminders of the many dangers police officers face.
“Not a single one of these officers were killed by a weapon,” he said. “They died by other means. And it really highlights the dangers of this job. Whether it is a cardiac incident, whether it is rushing in to save a life … that risk is real to all of us.”
Kathleen Gargano, one of Delvin’s great-granddaughters, credits her mother for Delvin being honored after all these years. Gargano said her mom was interested in ancestry and discovered Delvin’s story, though she didn’t live to see Wednesday’s ceremony.
“This was something that she had wanted to see happen, so I’m really happy for that,” Gargano said. “It’s an important thing to remember any and all people who have died in the line of duty or as a result of injuries from performing their duties.”
O’Neill’s son Dennis said he reached out to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation to see if his father qualified to be honored; originally, he said his father’s death was not considered to be in the line of duty.
Dennis O’Neill said it was important to remembering his dad’s nearly 25 years of service: “My father loved being a policeman in Chicago. We all loved him so much … He was a man of honor and did his job.”
Tim Gillerlain, one of Todd C. Gillerlain’s siblings, called the memorial wall a sacred place. He said his brother was the anchor of their family and a big part of his neighborhood of Beverly.
“Todd had time for everybody,” Tim Gillerlain said, “and now, this gives us a place where we can spend as much time as we want with him.”