Stonington – Honors continue for the late Stonington Police Captain Jerry Desmond.
On January 10, U.S. Representative Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, read a statement outlining Desmond’s life and service from the Congressional Record, and last Thursday the Board of Education voted unanimously to dedicate a small road behind the Stonington High School gymnasium as Desmond Way with a memorial.
Desmond, 63, died on December 24 after a long battle with cancer. Along with working for the police department for 34 years before retiring in 2014, he spent many years coaching high school gymnastics, track and field, and football teams.
He helped oversee the police department’s marine unit, was involved with the department’s dive team, served as a boating instructor, youth officer, and led the department’s school safety initiatives following of the Sandy Hook shootings in 2012.
After retiring, Desmond took a job with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as a boating safety representative. Many friends, residents and fellow police officers attended his wake in the gymnasium at Stonington High School and his funeral.
In the statement he made about Desmond on the floor of the House of Representatives, Courtney spoke about Desmond’s life, saying that “From an early age, Jerry was instilled with the value of giving any task or challenge posed to him a full ‘100 percent.’ This principle guided him throughout his life to the very end, even during his arduous battle with cancer, which he led with an infectious optimism and the can-do attitude that defined his life.”
“Madam President, it is an incredible honor to represent constituents who are as committed to the future of their community as Jerry. I had the privilege of interacting with him as a member of Congress and can attest to his diligent professionalism and down-to-earth personality that was so engaging,” Courtney said.
He added that “Desmond’s life was defined by his love for teaching and giving back to his community. His actions touched thousands and he served as a great role model for the next generation of Stonington. Although the void left by his generous and caring nature can hopefully not be filled in the Stonington community, we can find relief in the reality that those whose lives have been enriched by Jerry’s presence will not soon forget his example.”
The full statement can be read at bit.ly/crdesmond.
At last week’s school board meeting, Superintendent of Schools Van Riley called the planned memorial behind the high school “a wonderful opportunity to recognize a very special person. … It will be a place where people will see his name.” all the time and will be able to remember what a good person he was and what a supporter of our community and the school he was.”
j.wojtas@theday.com
