By HEATHER THOMAS, The South Bend Tribune
WALKERTON, Indiana -- “It’s a sacrifice you really can’t measure.”
Police Chief Richard Bliley spoke for many in Walkerton early Tuesday afternoon.
The town continues to grieve for Mishawaka police officer Bryan Verkler, who was shot and killed Saturday in Mishawaka.
Verkler hailed from Walkerton, and his family still lives and works there. His mother, Carolyn, has worked at John Glenn High School for several years, according to Principal Dolores Mueller.
Bliley, who has been a police officer for 27 years, works with Bryan Verkler’s father, Randy, and his brother, Brett. Bliley even offered Bryan Verkler a job on the force a few years ago.
Bliley describes a tight bond between all police officers, but says this loss was especially hard.
“It brings it home for us a lot more so than just a police officer who died in a nearby community,” Bliley says.
“A lot of tears were shed.”
Closer to the edge of town, Larry Klinedinst, the owner of Mr. K’s Restaurant, Lounge and Pizzeria, a popular police hangout, fought tears as he remembered his former employee.
“He was just a nice kid,” Klinedinst says.
As a college student, Bryan Verkler worked for Klinedinst when Klinedinst owned a convenience store. Klinedinst called Verkler a great person, one of his best employees, and admired him very much.
“It’s just a sad thing he had to go.”
Longtime John Glenn High School track coach Dennis Rippy called Verkler “one of the most outstanding athletes” at the school. Verkler broke the school shot put record as a junior and again as a senior, Rippy said. Verkler placed fourth at state his senior year -- the best place of any John Glenn athlete to date.
Rippy doesn’t think the record will be broken any time soon.
Perhaps more important, though, was Verkler’s impact as a person.
“He never had a mean bone in his body,” Rippy says. “He was a gentle giant.”
Rippy describes Verkler as an outstanding person, a hard worker. He said he was the type of kid people would want their own child to be like.
“I’m proud to have known Bryan and to be his coach,” Rippy says.
Bliley says people have been stopping by the police station, seeing if there is any way they can help.
“Almost everyone in the community knows (the family),” Bliley says.
Rippy adds, “He’ll be missed by everyone who knew him.”