Steve Nothem memorial bench in Kiel. PC: Fox 11 Online
KIEL, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A year after he was killed in the line of duty, a Kiel native is being remembered in his hometown. Thirty-six year old Steve Nothem, a former Grand Chute Police Officer, was killed last year while working for the Carrollton, Texas Police Department.
Now, permanent memorials are being dedicated both at home and in Texas.
Outside the Kiel Police Department sits two benches. One honors Kiel native Trevor Casper, the Wisconsin State Trooper was killed in the line of duty in 2015. The other bench is in memory of another native son, Steve Nothem.
“We donated this bench. We had a little dedication ceremony and the next day we left for Texas. So, this is the first time we’re actually sitting on it since we got back,” said Nothem’s father, Steve Nothem.
A 2005 graduate of Kiel High School, Nothem was killed in the line of duty on October 18, 2022 while working for the Carrollton, Texas Police Department
With encouragement from the former Kiel police chief, Nothem’s family worked with a local designer to create a memorial bench that represented their Steven, defender of the underdog.
His dad said, “We heard story after story about how he cared about people that were disadvantaged, smaller, weaker and he was a champion for them.”
On the anniversary of Nothem’s death, the Carrollton Police Department held a memorial service. Steve and Peggy Nothem, along with other family members attended.
Touched by the love and support they received from their son’s brothers and sisters in blue, they donated an identical memorial bench to the Carrollton PD. The Nothems hauling it from Wisconsin, in their mini van, as officers with the Carrollton Police Department helped to install it.
According to Peggy Nothem, “We consider them family. We feel like they are all our children. And Steven’s passing, he had brought us closer to his comrades and co-workers and now I know why he loved working with them. They’re fabulous, caring, compassionate people.”
The Nothems say the pride is helping to trump the grief. And the bench is another reminder of that with Steve Nothem adding, “Since Steven is not buried in Wisconsin, this is a place that we can come and think and reflect and reminisce.”
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