Members Memorial

The Members Memorial, which was dedicated on May 31, 2006, and is permanently housed in the reception area of NAGE headquarters, honors the women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities. It commemorates their faithful and loyal devotion to their responsibilities to protect and serve the citizens of our cities and towns, and to provide emergency medical services to the gravely ill and injured.

We will never forget the sacrifice they made.

Police Officer Peter William Faatz
IBPO Local 623
Atlanta Police Department
End of Watch: Thursday, August 3, 2006
Tour of Duty: 1 year, 4 months
Badge Number: 5858

Police Officer Peter William Faatz, 29, served with the Atlanta Police Department for 16 months; he was assigned to the Zone 3 Precint.

On July 21, Officer Faatz was responding to the scene of a fatal shooting in southwest Atlanta when an ambulance collided with his patrol car. The ambulance was also responding to the double shooting. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit with severe head injuries. Officer Faatz remained at the hospital until his passing on August 3.

At his memorial service, Officer Faatz’ Zone 3 commander said, “We’ve lost an outstanding officer, though he’d only been on the department about 15 months. He was a very dedicated officer, very committed to serving the citizens of Atlanta.”

Before joining the APD, Officer Faatz served in the Marine Corps, where he was a firearms instructor. He received a commendation for 100 percent qualification of all of his students.

At the police academy for the Atlanta Police Department, Officer Faatz graduated first in his class in marksmanship.

Flight Paramedic Marlena Lee Yomes
IAEP Local 56-023
Hawaii Air Ambulance
End of Duty: Wednesday, March 8, 2006

Marlena Lee Yomes, 39, was a flight paramedic for Hawaii Air Ambulance and was also Honolulu base supervisor.

Paramedic Yomes was killed when the Hawaii Air Ambulance plane she was aboard crashed into a BMW dealership near Kahului Airport. The accident occurred at about 7:15 p.m. on March 8, 2006, as the plane headed from Oahu to Kahului to pick up a patient for transport back to Honolulu.

Family members described Marlena as a person who made everyone laugh with her stories. She decided to become a paramedic after she assisted motorists involved in an accident that occurred on the H-1 freeway while she was on her way home from work. “For some reason, at that instant, she decided that’s what she wanted to do,” her father said.

Marlena Yomes is survived by her husband Gilbert, her son Cody Gilbert, and her daughter Kori Lee.

Police Officer Stanley Cornell Reaves
IBPO Local 412
Norfolk (Virginia) Police Department
End of Watch: Friday, October 28, 2005
Tour of Duty: 12 years

Police Officer Stanley Cornell Reaves, 33, served with the Norfolk Police Department for 12 months, but was a police officer with the Baltimore City (Maryland) Police Department for 11 years.

On October 28, 2005, Officer Reaves was shot and killed after being flagged down by a citizen near the intersection of West 27th Street and DeBree Avenue. The citizen informed him that a person in the area was acting suspicious. Officer Reaves pulled around the corner, exited his patrol car, and began to approach the suspicious person. Without warning, the suspect produced a handgun and immediately opened fire, striking Officer Reaves. The suspect fled the area and was arrested in White Plains, New York, on November 2, 2005.

A close friend who had known Officer Reaves since they were in daycare together over thirty years ago, said of him: “He was an exceptional person, a loving happy person. Anybody who knows Stanley knows he makes you smile. That’s somebody whose goal in life is to make a person smile.”

Officer Reaves is survived by his wife Treva and their two children, Reagan and Ryan.

Police Officer Mark Anthony Cross
IBPO Local 623
Atlanta Police Department
End of Watch: Saturday, April 23, 2005
Tour of Duty: 6 years
Badge Number: 5241

Officer Mark Anthony Cross, 31, served with the Atlanta Police Department for 6 years and was assigned to Zone 5 until he was promoted to the Red Dog Unit in 2003

.

Officer Cross was shot and killed on April 23, 2005, after he and his partner approached a suspicious vehicle. Officer Cross and two officers were on patrol in the Adair Park Historic District of Atlanta, an area known for narcotics sales and violence. At approximately 2045 hours, the officers observed a suspicious vehicle in front of a drug house. Officer Cross and his partner approached the driver's side of the vehicle and the driver immediately opened fire, killing Officer Cross and wounding his partner.

“Officer Mark Cross personified the character, integrity and work ethic our Department seeks in one of Atlanta’s Finest,” said Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington. “He lived a life full of love and devotion for his family and friends, and we will forever miss his ready smile and his eagerness to make a difference.”

Officer Cross is survived by his wife Katharine “Gem”, his son Thai Chaiboon, and his daughter Aida Jasmine.

Sergeant Hoyt Keith Teasley
IBPO Local 453
Fulton County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Department
End of Watch: Friday, March 11, 2005
Tour of Duty: 18 years

Sergeant Hoyt Teasley, 43, served with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department for 18 years. He was also an Air Force veteran and 16-year member of the Air Force National Guard.

On March 11, 2005, a suspect was changing from his jail jumpsuit into civilian clothes for trial when he overpowered another sheriff’s deputy and took a gun from a nearby locker. The suspect, Brian Nichols, made his way to Judge Rowland Barnes’ chamber, where he shot and killed Judge Barnes and court reporter Julie Ann Brandau. Nichols ran down seven flights of stairs and onto Martin Luther King Drive, where Sgt. Teasley confronted him. Nichols shot Sgt. Teasley repeatedly before escaping. Nichols was apprehended the following day in Duluth, Georgia after a woman he kidnapped convinced him to surrender peacefully.

“He gave his life rushing to a dangerous scene to make peace in a disturbed situation,” Fulton County Sheriff Myron Freeman said about Sgt. Teasley. “His very last act upon God’s earth was to make peace.”

Sergeant Teasley is survived by his wife Deborah and his daughters DeKeisha and Deona.

Master Police Officer Peter J. Lavery
IBPO Local 443
Newington (Connecticut) Police Department
End of Watch: Thursday, December 30, 2004
Tour of Duty: 22 years Badge Number: 2523

Master Police Officer Peter J. Lavery, 47, served with the Newington Police Department for 17 years and the nearby Berlin Police Department for five years. This decorated officer was also a retired major with the Connecticut National Guard and was an avid motorcyclist who participated in the America’s Ride 9/11 Foundation fundraiser ride.

On December 30, 2004 while working the evening shift, MPO Lavery was dispatched to a domestic complaint. He was informed by the property owner that there were no weapons on the property. MPO Peter Lavery was fatally shot multiple times with a modified assault weapon by a violent ex-convict and former state correctional guard as he descended the basement steps to conduct the search. The suspect held Newington Police and neighboring SWAT teams in an extended standoff for 12 hours, then shot himself.

Master Officer Lavery is survived by his wife Pamela, son Raymond, and daughter Samantha.

Police Officer Robert Francis Grim, Sr.
Coastal Florida PBA
Ormond Beach Police Department
End of Watch: Saturday, November 13, 2004
Tour of Duty: 36 years

 

Officer Robert Francis (Bob) Grim, Sr., 60, served with the Ormond Beach (Florida) Police Department for 18 months, but had served in law enforcement for 36 years.

Officer Grim was struck and killed by a vehicle while investigating a minor traffic accident on Nova Road at 2345 hours. Officer Grim was standing in the inside lane of the roadway when he was struck. The driver who struck Officer Grim was cleared of all charges.

Officer Grim organized 28 new neighborhood watch units, which opened the door for the creation of a Residential Security Check System. He developed a Stranger Danger and Bicycle Safety Program and taught D.A.R.E. to many elementary school children.

Officer Grim was remembered as a man of faith, a wonderful husband and father, and a friend to the many thousands of people whose lives were touched by his dedication, compassion and sense of humor.

Officer Grim is survived by his wife Linda, daughter Tiffany, and sons Robert, Jr. and Jason.

Flight Paramedic J. Daniel Villiaros
IAEP Local 56-023
Hawaii Air Ambulance
End of Duty: Saturday, January 31, 2004

Joseph “Danny” Daniel Villiaros, 39, was a flight paramedic for Hawaii Air Ambulance and a Honolulu firefighter.

Paramedic Villiaros was killed when the Hawaii Air Ambulance plane he was aboard crashed into the densely forested slopes of Mauna Kea on the Big Island. The plane was reported missing after failing to make a scheduled arrival at Hilo Airport to pick up a 9-year-old patient for transport to Honolulu.

The CEO of Hawaii Air Ambulance called Danny “a very spiritual individual, who felt he was doing the Lord’s work. He was kind, gentle, had a sense of humor, and he was affected by the patients he handled and he tried to catch up with them.”

Daniel Villiaros is survived by his son Jordan and daughter Kilani.