Three family members of the late Stephen Ketchum were in Washington, D.C. in October, during Police Weekend 2021. The special activities are hosted annually by The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and Museum (NLEOM).

Ketchum was a Newtown Police Department officer for 25 years, having retired in May 2014. At the time of his retirement, Ketchum was a patrol officer and motorcycle-based enforcement specialist.

He also served as the School Resources Officer at Newtown High School, 2003-06; and was a deputy fire marshal for the Town of Newtown.

He was one of two Newtown Police Department officers to respond to the World Trade Center on 9/11. In 2013 his physician told Ketchum that he had lung cancer brought on by the toxins present at Ground Zero.

He died in March 2016 after battling lung cancer “with courage, determination, and optimism,” according to his obituary. He was 48 years old.

Ketchum has been memorialized on the Connecticut Law Enforcement Memorial in Meriden and the 9/11 Responders Remembered Park in Nesconset, N.Y. Earlier this year, the training and community room of the new Newtown Police Department was named in his honor.

Last month Ketchum's mother, Marilyn “Ziggie” Ketchum; and sister and brother-in-law, Corey and Alan LaRoque attended the National Police Week events. Ketchum’s name was entered onto the NLEMM’s Memorial last year.

“We went … to honor Police Officer Stephen A. Ketchum and the thousands of other law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty,” Corey LaRoque shared in an email to The Newtown Bee. “We visited the National Law Enforcement Memorial where Stephen's name is now carved into the marble along with the names of over 22,000 officers who died in the line of duty.”

Despite being in the nation’s capital, LaRoque said the memorial is “a very peaceful and solemn place. All the noise from the city seems to disappear.

“I was overwhelmed by both the pride I felt for my brother and the sadness at seeing his name there,” she added.

Finding the location within the memorial where Ofc Ketchum’s name had been carved into the memorial, the family left photos, flowers, and a basket containing stones engraved with his name and some moss and pine cones from his favorite place, Acadia National Park. They also, according to LaRoque, met the family of Officer Scott Larkins from Detroit, whose name is carved in the memorial next to Ketchum’s.

A candlelight vigil was conducted on October 14, and the National Peace Officers Memorial Service followed on October 16 on the lawn of the US Capitol Building. The families and other guests had “a massive police motorcycle escort for both events,” Laroque said. “I was told that nearly 1,000 officers on motorcycles came to participate.

“Traffic was stopped at every intersection, onramp, and driveway along the way,” she said. “The people stuck in the traffic were very respectful and many got out of their cars and waved to us. There were fire engines parked on all the overpasses and the firefighters stood on the bridges saluting as we went by. The magnitude of the effort people made to honor Steve and the other fallen officers was amazing.”

LaRoque called the candlelight vigil “incredibly moving.” She and her mother were each escorted from the bus to their seats, and then given a rose. Stephen Ketchum’s name was read, along with the names of the 701 officers honored this year.

“Then the memorial candle was lit and the flame was passed to each of the family members, officers, and spectators to light their own candles,” LaRoque shared. “There were candles burning on all sides of us, as far as I could see.

On Saturday, the family was escorted to the National Peace Officers Memorial Service by Detective James Olson from Fresno California Police Department. The ceremony was beautiful, said Ketchum’s sister.

“At the Capitol, as each officer's name was read, the escort officer accompanied the family to the front to place a flower in one of the two wreaths on the Capitol lawn,” LaRoque shared. “After Stephen's name was read, we were presented with the Supreme Sacrifice Medal of Honor in his name by the Fraternal Order of Police.

LaRoque was extremely appreciative of the attending the Fresno PD detective paid her family.

“He really stood up to support us in our time of need and he is like family to us now,” she said. Olson, who also heads the Fresno PD Honor Guard, stayed with the family from early that morning until late in the afternoon, when the family boarded a bus to return to their hotel, she said.

“He gave us a patch and a coin from the Fresno police and he even checked to make sure we made it back home to Connecticut safely,” LaRoque said. “We’ve communicated with him several times already since we returned home and plan on keeping in touch with him. We were honored that Jimmy come from across the country to support us and to honor Stephen.”

Despite the support and comfort found among others sharing similar pain, LaRoque said the trip was not easy for most of the families in attendance.

“The grief from losing Steve never fades, all we can do is to keep learning how to live with it. It is comforting to know that Stephen's service and sacrifice will always be remembered at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall,” she said. “We are very fortunate to have met so many wonderful people while we there in DC. The kindness of our Blue Family will never be forgotten.”

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Associate Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.