Among the ceremonial trappings befitting a man hailed as a fallen hero is the life of the Park Forest police Officer Tim Jones celebrated Saturday before a crowd of about 1,000 people, including police officers from about 30 police departments in the Chicago area.
The pomp and circumstance was not forgotten: the arrival of the police was marked by a “Pipes and Drums” salute from the Chicago Police Department's Emerald Society.
The event was held at Tinley Park High School, where Jones graduated in 2009.
Jones, 34, died Dec. 3, nearly 10 years after he was seriously wounded in a deadly confrontation with an angry home invader on March 19, 2016. The officers accompanying Jones killed the intruder.
Park Forest officials, clergy, family and friends attended Saturday's celebration.
“On this day we celebrate his life,” Park Forest Mayor Joe Woods said. “He gave so much with so little motivation. We honor this superhero who gave everything. Tim didn't die. He gave it to the entire community.”
Former Mayor John Ostenburg said Jones was a “true hometown hero,” linking Jones' actions to the second day of Kwanzaa as a “day of self-determination.”
“The shooting shook the community,” former Park Forest Village Manager Tom Meek told the crowd. “He became known only by his first name.”
“We owe Tim a huge debt of gratitude,” Mick said.
“He carried himself with a calm strength,” Park Forest Police Chief Brian Rzyski said.
Tinley Park High School Principal Teresa Nolan called Jones “a tremendous student, a tremendous athlete and a wonderful friend. He had a fighting spirit and a knack for never giving up.”
Close friend Kyle Rodriguez played on the football team with Jones and said Jones never gave up. Rodriguez said that when Jones opened his eyes after the shooting, “he wanted to prove who he was. He wanted to walk again.”
At the time of the shooting, Tim's father, William Joneswas the Country Club Hills police chief and the man who pinned the badge on his son when he was sworn into office.
sign No. 204 became a link between society and the police. Three days after the shooting, at a fundraiser at a Matteson restaurant to help cover family expenses, hundreds of people bought food and a blue T-shirt with his number within four hours. A police car with his license plate became part of the village's fleet.
Village officials never seemed to forget Jones. He was promoted to detective in 2021 and an honorary Tim Jones road sign was installed on Forest Boulevard adjacent to the police station. His police department desk and locker will remain eternal symbols of his sacrifice.
After the 2016 shooting, Jones was airlifted to the level 1 trauma unit at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was greeted by more than 200 police officers of all ranks and from dozens of departments lining the halls in silent tribute.
Doctors told Jones' father it was almost no hope for any recovery. One told him that the odds of winning the Power Ball were better than his chances of living another day.
Tinley Park High School put up posters dedicated to Jones, and large posters of him were handed out to visitors, declaring that “real heroes don't need a cape.”
Since his death, 75 people have received help through organ donation, the program reports.
Jerry Schnee is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown.
