Friends remember Officer Priess

Nearly 700 police officers say farewell to one of their own

DeWitt Twp. Police Officer Gary Priess is laid to rest Jan. 29

By DAVID HALL

Last Saturday morning, former DeWitt Township police officer Brian Bartlett tried to describe Gary Priess' sense of humor to nearly a thousand people, many of whom didn't know him.

"For those of you who didn't know Gary, this is how a typical encounter with him would begin ..." Bartlett said as he went into a joke about a blonde struggling to get off a horse ride at a Meijer store.

"Not all of them were that funny, but you always laughed because it was funny to watch Gary crack himself up," he said.

Bartlett was one of four speakers at the funeral of the fallen DeWitt Township police officer. Priess' Jan. 29 funeral at the First Baptist Church in St. Johns was so large, a second room equipped with video and audio accommodations was needed to seat the crowd.

Family, friends and colleagues gathered to say goodbye to Priess, whose life was taken in the line of duty Jan. 25 when he was hit by a semi-truck on US 27.

Nearly 700 uniformed officers from as far as Ontario and as close as St. Johns and many in between including Grand Blanc, Flint, Battle Creek and Bath, were in attendance, wearing blue ribbons in Priess' memory.

DeWitt Township Police Chief Doug Rogers was the first to speak at the ceremony.

"Gary, in my mind, was a true success in every aspect of his life," he said. "When I first started here seven years ago as chief, other administrators told me, 'You'll want to clone Gary Priess.' They were right."

Sgt. Rick Smith, an officer with the township who worked with Priess for 17 years, also had fond memories of his co-worker and friend.

"I'd like to remember Gary, not for what happened a couple of days ago, but what has happened the last 43 years," he said. "The community is so much better for having had contact with him."

Smith described Priess' vigor for traffic enforcement.

"First there was Superman," he said. "Then there was Batman and finally there was Trafficman. Unfortunately, the thing he loved to do most, traffic enforcement, took his life."

State Sen. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, was also on hand to pay his respects.

"May you all take comfort in knowing one more police officer is in heaven," he said. "The state mourns the loss of a law enforcement agent. It also mourns the loss of a father and a husband."

However, what people remembered most was his commitment to his family.

"(His family) always came first and he never let his job get in the way of that," Bartlett said of Priess who was married to his wife Gretchen for 19 years. "He truly felt he had it all."

From holiday activities to coaching his daughter's basketball team, Priess was an enthusiastic family man friends recalled.

A parade of more than 250 law enforcement and emergency vehicles flooded the streets of St. Johns en route to Mt. Rest Cemetery, after the service.

Bag pipes, a hot air balloon and a 21-gun salute were used to honor Priess at his grave site.

St. Johns Police Chief Mike Madden, who coordinated the funeral and procession, said the huge event went off without a hitch.

"There was a lot of cooperation from a lot of agencies," he said. "It's a way of honoring our own. Definitely a sharing and bonding of police officers across the state."

Friends remember Officer Priess

By David Hall

An excellent police officer, a dedicated family man, and a good friend.

All of these phrases were used by co-workers and friends to describe Gary Priess, DeWitt Township police officer who was killed in the line of duty Jan. 25.

Outgoing, enthusiastic about his job, and quick to make a joke were other glowing descriptions of the man friends affectionately called 'big bird'.

On Wednesday morning, township officials went back to work, the day after officer Priess was killed after being hit by a semi-truck on US-27, amidst a cloud of sorrow and grieving the loss of a friend.

Officers wore black bands over their badges to remember Priess and the doors of township hall were adorned with wreaths.

"Gary, first and foremost will be missed by everyone here," said an emotional Lt. Brian Traub, a 14-year veteran of the department who worked with Priess. "He was well liked and respected. Here's a guy who had 17 years of experience and had the enthusiasm of a first year officer."

The mood was equally somber in the township's administrative offices Wednesday.

"I've known Gary a longtime," said DeWitt Township Supervisor Bob Zeeb. "He did a great job and on top of that he was a great guy. It's a terrible loss and our thoughts certainly go out to his family."

Township officials seemed to be keeping particularly busy this day, trying as one employee put it, "to keep their minds off the tragedy."

Priess, 43, who had been with the department since June 28, 1982, is survived by his wife, Gretchen, and two children, Meghan, 11, and Ryan, 8, all of St. Johns.

Township Det. Scott Ciupak, who was on duty when the call came in around noon on Tuesday, said he wasn't fully prepared for what he saw when he arrived at the scene on US-27 near the I-69 interchange.

"It's something that gets pounded into us during training," he said solemnly. "'It can happen to you.' It's a message that is sent, but it never really hits home. You never truly believe it can happen to you or your own."

Priess was born in Newberry in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. He graduated from Northern Michigan University in 1979 and went on to complete his police training at Kalamazoo Valley Police Academy in 1979.

It was at the Cass City Police Department where Priess got his start in 1979, working there for a short time until moving on to the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department in 1979.

In 1982, he joined the DeWitt Township Police Department. Since coming to the township, Priess had been a model police officer, specializing in traffic enforcement, something co-workers said he took immense pride in.

"He'd give other officers grief," said Brian Bartlett, who was an officer with the township from 1988 to 1998. "One time when he was training an officer, they broke the speed limit and he got an ear full,that's for sure."

Priess was usually camouflaged somewhere along Business 27 with his trusty radar gun.

Priess also held the position of evidence room technician as well as being a field training officer, responsible for training 15 to 20 officers, including Ciupak and Bartlett.

His accomplishments as an officer in DeWitt can be seen in his personnel file that is two inches thick, overflowing with letters from administrators and residents, as well as awards commending his extraordinary work over the years.

He was to be presented with yet another award this month for his role in apprehending two robbery suspects within minutes of the call on Dec. 12. Priess received a call at 12:27 p.m. about a robbery at the Family Dollar in DeWitt Township, and had the suspects pulled over by 12:31 p.m.

Priess would later modestly tell the DeWitt-Bath Review, "I played a hunch. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good."

However, the stacks of honors similar to this one don't lie.

But as township police Chief Doug Rogers explained, it was the intangibles Priess brought to the force that will be greatly missed.

"He was instrumental in the professional image of the department," he said. "He was counted on here because of his self motivation. It didn't matter what day he came in, he was always in an up mood and brought everybody else up."

Except of course when the Detroit Redwings lost, said Bartlett, laughing at he recalled his friend's love for hockey.

But he had a past time he loved even more than hockey, Bartlett remembers.

"He was a hot air balloon freak," he said with a smile. "He loved balloons. His family vacations always centered around the balloons."

Priess had a huge collection of hot air balloon pins he collected over the years.

He also found time for carving pumpkins with his kids every Halloween, organizing the Big Brothers/Big Sisters bowling fundraiser every year, and coaching his daughter's basketball team in St. Johns.

"His family was his life," Bartlett said.

And his legacy won't soon leave DeWitt Township. Rogers officially retired the call number Priess was using Tuesday afternoon - number 749.

Bartlett also made sure Priess wouldn't be soon forgotten. He brought in a stuffed big bird doll that stands a foot and a half tall to the police department Wednesday morning to lighten the mood of the office in the spirit of the fallen officer.

"It's appropriate that some of him stays around here," he said.

His funeral was held Jan. 29 at the First Baptist Church in St. Johns.

Donations can be made to the Gary Priess Memorial Fund at any branch of the Citizens Bank or by mail to the Citizens Bank, Valley Farms Branch, 15431 S. US-27, Lansing, MI, 48906.

Rogers said township employees and family members are now focusing on cherishing the memories of Gary and trying to get past the tragedy.

"He's going to be greatly missed by everybody here," he said. "Now our intent is to give the family as much support as possible. Gary will never be forgotten."