Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Hey steve to day i was in school and i thaght of you and i just needed to look you up on the internet. i think of you all the time.

You are my hero

Michael gilbert your second cousin

michael gilbert your second cousin

February 15, 2006

Steven,
Can't beleive it's 10 months ago that you were taken from us I miss you very much brother. Keep a watch over all of us we love you Steven rest in peace brother.
Love,George.

George Zourkas
Brother

February 8, 2006

Steven,
HAPPY NEW YEAR IN HEAVEN WE LOVE AND MISS YOU. KEEP WATCHING OVER ALL OF US A MINUTE OR A DAY DOES NOT GO BY THAT WE DON'T THINK OF YOU. YOU ARE TRULY LOVED AND MISSED. OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE ALWAYS WITH YOU STEVEN.
ALL OUR LOVE,
MOM, DAD AND GEORGE.

MOM, DAD & GEORGE

December 31, 2005

Merry Christmas Steve, We all miss you. Keep us safe.

Niles Police Department

December 24, 2005

Steven,
It's Christmas Eve and it's been eight and a half month's since you left us. It's our 1st Christmas with out you. We are trying very hard to do the best we can but it's not easy. You have always been with us for everything we've ever done and these holidays are very difficult not having you with all of us. We Love and Miss you Steven. You are in our thoughts and prayers when we look up to Heaven we know that you are that bright shining star. God Bless You Steven. We know that you are spending Christmas with Jesus this year.
Merry Christmas to you in Heaven. Watch over us .
WE LOVE YOU STEVEN,
ALL OUR LOVE
MOM, DAD & GEORGE.

MOM, DAD & GEORGE

December 24, 2005

Merry Christmas Steve. Miss you buddy

Friend in Blue

December 24, 2005

I decorated the outside of my home with blue lights. One of those blue lights is out there in your memory and will be lit every night from now until New Years. It is my way of saying that you have not been forgotten. I wish there were some magic words I could give to your family members to mend their broken hearts, but there are none. I know every day for them is a challenge, but they take one day at a time. You will never be forgotten and you are a true hero.

Bob Gordon, father of fallen officer Michael P. Gordon, EOW: 8/8/04

Bob Gordon

November 20, 2005

Still missing you everyday good buddy. Keep an eye out for us...

Anonymous
Niles P.D.

November 7, 2005

Been thinking about you alot today and how you always loved Halloween. I remember how Larry would tease you about your decorations. I took Anthony to the pumpkin patch we went to. It felt strange, riding on the train ride you went on. I'm so glad I brought my camera that day. With all the great memories we have, that's the only one I have pictures from. I will cherish them forever. It breaks my heart to think you won't be there today to take Andrew & John trick-or-treating. I don't know how Ivy gets through this, but hopefully our prayers everyday are helping. I pray for them everyday and for your family. We miss you so much. Larry misses your calls on the way to work. Everything we do lately, we say Steve would've loved this, or this would've been fun if Steve were here. We both feel you here with us though. Both Larry and I have felt it. And we know you helped us out last week and we are so grateful. I'm glad we let you know how much we loved you while you were here with us. Remember how you'd push Larry away when he'd hug you. He's so glad he gave you those hugs and wishes he still could. I just want to get to the point where I'm able to look back on the memories and smile instead of cry. But right now that's so hard to do. With time I guess. We love you and miss you. Please watch over all the kids today.
Love, Barb

October 31, 2005

I lived in Niles most of my life, I always respected the men and women of the force and always wanted to get in law enforcement cause of brave men like Mr. Zourkas. Now im in law enforcement and live in Waukegan. When i heard about his death i was very sad and it hit close to home because i had grown up in Niles. My thoughts and prayers to the Zourkas family...

George
Zion PD

October 15, 2005

Steven,
A day does not go by that we do not think of you. We take it day by day, minute by minute since you left us, our hearts are broken. You where the sunshine in our lives, can't beleive it is already 6 months since you left us. You are in our daily thoughts and prayers. You are always and forever in our hearts. We will see you again in heaven.
ALL OUR LOVE,
MOM, DAD & GEORGE.

MOM, DAD & GEORGE

October 8, 2005

still deep in sorrow n thought.

AUX
Niles Police Department

October 5, 2005

Steve, it's coming up on 6 months since that last night we worked together. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you; your quest for the perfect report, the constant practical jokes, your DUI sobriety tests, bad haircuts, misbehaving in roll call, breakfast club hijinx just to name a few. Your zest for the job and inquisitive nature never ceased to amaze me. You were a great friend, a great cop, and a one-of-a-kind "crazy" person. You touched the lives of many people, and the world was a better place for having you in it. I love you Steve. It has been an honor to have worked with you and to have been your friend. I will never forget.Rest in peace.

Sgt. Robert Stankowicz
Niles, Il. Police Department

October 5, 2005

Steve,(ZORO)
This is strange. It has been 13 years since I first met you. Seems like yesterday. You were showing me around the fire department in 1992(Prospect Heights FPD)and making me feel at ease for being a new guy.It has been a few years since we talked, we lost track of each other with our lives. I remember you speaking of your "future" wife (you used to tell me about). Boy, you made an impression on me.You were always smiling and easy to be around and made me comfortable being the "new guy" at the fire house, Thanks for that. I can still remember sleeping across the room from you and having to listen to you snorrrrrr! Funny how now you miss that sort of thing and all your questions about everything.we used to talk all day at work. I took for granted that you were one of those people whom was "charmed" and thought you would always be around, skate through life without any hassles and die a old man with lots of grand kids. I guess things do change. We would occationally run into each other over the holidays through the years and talk briefly but I never thought you would be gone so soon. I will miss you more than you ever will know and regret not staying in touch with you. I promise that we will speak soon and I will come to see you. Rest in Peace.

William (Billy) Ortlund III

FF/Medic William T. Ortlund III
Bensenville FD

September 26, 2005

Steve,
i just want you to know how sorry I am that it took so long for me to write this to you. Not a day goes by that i dont think about you and how much you better a place this was with you. You were more than a neighbor to me you were more than a friend to me you were family. I still wait for the phone to ring and i pick it up to hear you giving me a the business about the time i bought your comic book collection so you could have enuff moeny to buy a motorcycle or the trip to the dells with ziggy and kallas in your cutlass. I will always remember when the batman movie came out how you had a tape fron the tv show with the batmobile starting up as the garage door opened. i will always remeber new years eve when we were at your place and your blind date started dancing with the lighted snowman in my front yard. I can only remeber the good times we had together because there were really never bad ones. you enjoyed life and life enjoyed haveing you here. I the thing that saddens me most is that there were so many more lives you could have touched and made better with your sence of humor and demenor they will never have the privledge and honor to know you to call you friend, or better yet family. Your memory will live on though me and eveyone you know because we all have a little bit of you in us now and forever.

I miss you buddy

Mike Licke

Mike L

September 13, 2005

Steven,

I wanted to stop and leave a reflection to say that you have not been forgotten nor will you ever be. Your family, friends and the Blue Family will forever keep your memory alive. I meet your parents at police memorial functions, they are both wonderful people. There are no words that I can say to them or your wife and children to ease the pain they are feeling. All they can do is take one day at a time. Watch over your family and also the officers still out on patrol.

Robert Gordon, father of fallen officer Michael P. Gordon, EOW: 8/8/04

Robert Gordon

September 10, 2005

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about you in some way. You will never be forgotten. Rest in peace buddy.

Detective Tom Fragassi
Niles PD

September 10, 2005

Miss you

Sandi, friend

September 7, 2005

To the family and friends of Officer Zourkas and his fellow officers in the Niles Police Department: I wanted to extend my deepest condolences on behalf of my family for the grievous loss you sustained when Officer Zourkas was tragically killed. You are in my thoughts and prayers. May you be comforted and embraced by the circle of love and support you will receive from the law enforcement community, and other police survivors. This reflection is sent with the utmost respect for the service he gave to his community and the citizens of Illinois, and for the supreme sacrifice he and his family made in the line of duty. His dedication to his work will be forever remembered and his memory honored. How tragic he had to die at such a young age, and leave behind a loving wife and two small children.

Phyllis L. Loya, mother of fallen officer Larry Lasater of Pittsburg, CA PD eow 4/24/05

August 23, 2005

A million times we'll need you,
A million times we'll cry,
If love alone could have saved you,
You never would have died.
In life we loved you dearly,
And in death we'll love you still,
Our hearts will hold a place for you,
That nothing else can fill.
It breaks our hearts to lose you,
But you haven't gone alone.
Parts of us went with you,
The day you were called home.

August 3, 2005

Steve,

I am so sorry I did not write this on your birthday to wish you a Happy one. Going to your grave site was a very hard thing to do especially when we share the same birthday and just knowing that I was never going to receive my yearly phone call from you and here you say "Happy Birthday" to me and for us to just laugh about that I was older than you by two hours. I just wish I could have heard your voice again. Steve I miss you so very much and I would do anything just to talk to you and see you again. I hope you are safe in heaven and that you are looking down at all of us and keeping us all safe just as you did when you were here. I will continue to think about you everyday and talk to you please just keep protecting us as any great guardian angel would...miss you and love you!

Friend, Colleen

July 24, 2005

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

July 18, 2005

Happy Birthday Steve. I can't believe I have to write that on here and not in a birthday card. I still can't believe you are gone. It hurts so so much. I keep thinking everyday that it will get better, that it will eventually be easier to accept, but it's not. It still feels like the first day you left us. Yet it feels like a lifetime since I last saw you. It's nice to read what others have wrote on here. You were so loved and meant so much to so many people. You were the most genuine person I've ever known. I miss you so much. Every night I say a prayer for you and your family and your fellow officers. I know you'll keep a watchful eye on all of us. Happy Birthday, I'll light a candle for you.

Love, Barb

Barb Tykane

July 18, 2005

Dear Mrs. Zourkas,

Please let me start by saying that I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t say that I know exactly what you are going thru but I probably can more than most. On the surface our situations seem to be very similar. Michael was only on the job for a 4 or 5 years. We were only married for just under 2 years. He was a wonderful stepfather to my son and just before he died we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl (she was 6 months old when he passed.) Michael also worked the midnight shift and was killed in an auto accident.

I’ve thought about you often since your husband’s passing. I’ve wanted to contact you but didn’t want to be obtrusive. I guess I just have really wanted to reach out to you to let you know you are not alone. That there is at least one other person out there who understands how you feel……especially at night.

I also want to let you know that even though I can’t in all honesty say that I’m ‘better’ I can say that I’m still here, trying to be a good mom and still trying to be the “good police wife”. And I have faith that you can do it too.

Guin Gordon

Guin Gordon, Wife of
CPD Officer Michael P. Gordon, E.O.W. 08AUG04

June 27, 2005

Steve-
Happy fathers day. I miss you more and more every day.
Love, Sandi

Sandi, Friend

June 20, 2005