Family Visit and a Well Deserved Retirement Party!

Back in June after leaving our son and his family in Omaha Nebraska, we headed on over to St. Louis Missouri to visit Laurie’s family… There was a big event on the calendar too!

This is Bill… He’s Laurie’s brother in law or her sister Bonnie’s husband, however you want t0o put it.  The big event was to celebrate Bill’s retirement after 40 years with the Richmond Heights Missouri Police Department!

A number of dignitaries were present to pay their respects to Bill and his service to the community.  This is St. Louis County Councilman Pat Dolan.   He presented Bill with a proclamation signed by all the members of the County Council recognizing Bill for his many years of police service to the County.

This is Bill with Jim Thompson, the Mayor of Richmond Heights.  The Mayor presented Bill with a plaque thanking him for 40 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Richmond Heights.

In this case the podium was being occupied by the master of ceremonies, Bill and Bonnie’s son Kyle.  Bill had just been presented with a Missouri State Flag, presented by the Missouri State Representatives and had flown over the MO capitol and been retired in Bill’s honor on the day of his retirement.  Unfortunately, Bill’s grandson Collin is blocked by the flag but he did a fine job of delivering the flag to his grandpa!

Grandson Keaton then gave his grandpa a United States Flag that had flown over the White House in Washington D.C. and which was retired in Bill’s honor and was presented by Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill!

What would any great retirement party be without some humor…and a ‘roast’ by the honoree’s son!  There were some really good laughs at Bill’s expense…

The ceremony ended with a tribute from Roy Wright, the Richmond Heights Chief of Police.  He presented Bill with his Sergeant’s Retirement Badge and Case, as well as Bill’s sidearm!  

Applause was abundant!  There was a large crowd in attendance…Bill’s friends, fellow police officers, officers from other jurisdictions, lots of family, etc.  Plenty of food and drink was consumed too! Plus, donuts for dessert!!

Here is the table that was set up for gifts, envelopes, cards, plaques, presentation materials and the flags.  I’m sure that the commemorative items will be prominently displayed in Bill and Bonnie’s home.  

Bill’s wife Bonnie was very happy to celebrate this occasion!  Laurie and I certainly concur… Given the difficulties and challenges that law enforcement officers deal with every day, not to mention the increasing danger, the timing of Bill’s retirement couldn’t have been better.

Congratulations Bill!! Well done! 

Lots of family members attended this big retirement celebration!  This is Bill and Bonnie’s son Kyle and his wife Melissa.  (Melissa's parents attended the party as well) Kyle and Melissa's sons Collin and Keaton were both involved in the ceremony.  Kyle has an important civilian position with the Missouri State Police…

This is Bonnie and Bill’s daughter Kasey with her husband Kevin and their daughter Charley Kate.

These are Kasey and Kevin’s other daughters, Avery and Delaney.  The girls were on the run all night…what energy!  Cute aren’t they?

This is Karole and her husband Bob.  Karole is Bonnie and Laurie’s sister.

From left to right, this is Laurie's niece Tanya, her boyfriend Van, Bonnie, Karole and Laurie’s oldest sister Glenda and Glenda’s husband Ken.

This is cousin Alan and his wife Bonnie. 

This is Karole and Bob’s son Marc and his family.  Marc is definitely outnumbered!  From the left, his wife Tammy with daughters Cate, Regan and Abby.

I didn’t get photos of all of Laurie’s family members…apologies to those that I missed!  All in all, this was a great party and a great celebration honoring Bill’s service and retirement.

We had one more stop before heading on down the road to our home in East Tennessee…

We never come to the St. Louis area without stopping for a visit with Laurie’s Aunt Lois…who celebrated her 102^nd birthday this past January! She loves her life and she’s sharp as a tack too…We enjoyed our day with her very much!

Of course I had to have a picture taken with Aunt Lois too!  As I get older, I look at her as my inspiration for a long and happy life!  Heck, she even consistently wins when playing Skip B0 with family and friends.  I’ve never been any good at cards!

That’s it for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit! 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave