It is.. with Great Honor.. and sadness, that we share the following tribute to one of our own Heroes, Police Chief John R. Judge who was killed in the line of duty on Monday September 8, 1969 in our beloved city, Marquette Heights, Illinois. There as been a quite a bit of research and time to find this information and we mean no disrespect to the Judge family, but feel the need to pay tribute to a man that so many Marquette Heights resident remember as a great Man, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Mentor, Police Office and Friend, to so many people. We have also shared this information with the Officer Down Memorial Page (odmp.org), so that his service to the citizens of the City of Marquette Heights, Illinois, does not go unnoticed. Recognizing Chief John R. Judge as a Police Officer lost in the line of duty is long over due and well deserved. God Speed, Chief John Judge. Tuesday, September 9, 1969 Pekin Times Newspaper, Pekin Illinois 61554 ~ M-H Police Chief Killed By His Own Gun Accidentally ~ Marquette Heights (c)- Marquette Heights area residents are still stunned today at the sudden and tragic death of their Police Chief, John Robert Judge, 57, who was killed when his gun apparently went off accidentally Monday night. Judge was pronounced dead on arrival at 8:25pm Monday at Pekin Hospital, the result of a gunshot wound in the left leg, in which the main vein was severed. Mr. Judge had just arrived home and apparently was getting out of his patrol car parked in his driveway at 308 Grant road, when the Colt automatic he was carrying in his belt discharged with the bullet severing the main vein in his left leg. He was found by his wife in the drivers seat with the left door open and his left leg out of the car. Mrs. Judge said she had seen the lights of the car as he drove into the driveway, and when he failed to come inside, she when out to investigate. She said she did not hear the shot. Tazewell County Coroner Louis Imig said Judge had a habit of carrying the automatic half-cocked in the belt of his trousers, and it must have been discharged in some way as he was about to leave the car. He said there was considerable traffic in the area of the Judge residence and that the shot would have been muffled, so the sound could have been mistaken for a backfire of a car. Imig ordered an autopsy. He scheduled an inquest for 10am Tuesday Sept. 16, in the coroners office. Mr. Judge was born Sept. 3, 1912 in St. Louis Mo., the son of Fredrick and Myrtle Lambert Judge. He was married to Geraldine Ann Frillman in St. Louis on May 5, 1937. He is survived by his wife, two sons, R. Patrick Judge of St. Louis, and John Thomas, serving with the armed forces in Vietnam; three daughters Mrs. Richard (Sue) Van Winkle, Pekin, Miss Mary C. Judge and Miss Cheryl C. Judge both at home; two, sisters, Mrs. Harold (Margaret) Redohl and Miss Ruth Judge, both of St. Louis, and six grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister. Funeral arrangements at Preston Funeral Home, Pekin are pending the arrival of the son from Vietnam. Mr. Judge had been a member of the Marquette Heights police force since 1961. He was a past officer of the St. Louis police department for 14 years. He had been safety director for Bascomb Wire Rope Co., for five years. He was a member of the Sacre Coeur Catholic Church, once having served as president of the mens class. He was a member of the Illinois Police Association, and the Juvenile Officers Association. He was active in Scouting and was a First Aid instructor. He donated much of his effort for the good of the town of Marquette Heights, with special attention toward the children. He was active in almost every community project and was one of its most active volunteer workers. He recently served as 1969 festival chairman. source: Pekin Daily Times 1969
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 05:47:00 +0000
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