Excerpts from the HeraldNews.com:
Retired Coal City Police Chief and Coal City Fire Protection District Capt. Dennis Neary always wanted to have fun, watch the Chicago Cubs and make sure everyone around him was OK.
On Oct. 2 at the Joliet Area Community Hospice Home, Neary lost his battle with advanced stage lung cancer. He was 66.
Neary spent his life in public service. He started as a part-time member of the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department before he was hired in 1972 as a full-time patrol officer in Coal City. After patrolling for several years Neary was named the police chief, a role he served in for the next 30 years.
Neary didn’t just serve as the chief of police though – his desire to help others also took him to the Coal City Fire Protection District, which he joined in 1978. He served as a firefighter and emergency medical technician, and retired in 2014 with the rank of captain.
Funeral services were held Friday at the First Baptist Church in Coal City.
