Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Rest in peace.

J.R.

January 24, 2022

Rest In Peace Brother in Blue. Thank you Hero and your family for your sacrifice and service. Always remembered.

Officer Mike Robinson (Ret.)
Upland Police Dept. CA

January 23, 2020

Det. Boevingloh,
On today, the 50th anniversary of your death I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for the citizens of University City. And to your Family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.

R.I.P.
USBP

Anonymous
United States Border Patrol

January 23, 2020

Obituary for Jim's widow Cherie O'Gorman:

O'Gorman, Cherie R. (nee Jennings), Fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church Tuesday, December 31, 2013 at 78. Beloved wife of James A. O'Gorman and the late Detective James E. Boevingloh; loving mother of James E. Jr. (Chris) Boevingloh, Nancy M. (Tim) Boevingloh and Jeanne Hendrickson; sister of the late James Stanley Jennings; dear grandmother of Kimberly (Ian) Toogood, Tammi, Michelle and the late Jason (Amber) Levy; great-grandmother of Tanner, Avery, Isaac, Xavier, Israel, Arcevia, Kara, Alyssa, Addie and Jasmine; our dear sister-in-law, aunt, cousin and friend to many. Mrs. O'Gorman retired from McDonnell Douglas and Western Anesthesiology. Services: Funeral Monday, January 6, 9;30 a.m. from COLLIER'S Funeral Home, 3400 N. Lindbergh to Holy Spirit Church, 3130 Parkwood Lane, Maryland Heights 63043, Mass 10 a.m. Interment Calvary Cemetery. Memorials may be given to Holy Spirit Hands or the Backstoppers. Visitation 4-8 p.m. Sunday.

John Boevingloh
Brother

January 7, 2014

Your heroism and service is honored today, the 42nd anniversary of your death. Your memory lives and you continue to inspire. Thank you for your service. My cherished son Larry Lasater was a fellow police officer murdered in the line of duty on April 24, 2005 while serving as a Pittsburg, CA police officer.

Time never dimishes respect, and your memory will always be honored and revered. I pray for the solace of all those who love and remember you for I know both the pain and pride are forever. I hold your family in my heart's embrace today.


Rest In Peace

Phyllis Loya
Mom of fallen California Officer Larry Lasater, Pittsburg PD, eow 4/24/05

January 23, 2012

You will never be forgotten Sir, May you RIP Detective Boevingloh. A true Hero

James Kotke
Civilian / Former Officer
WSF Park Police (Wi.)

January 23, 2012

You had been gone for 16 years when I took my first steps in the UCPD. However, I have worked with you for 25 years now as I look at the plaque that commemorates your passing every time I pass it. Godspeed Detective.

"Lest we forget".

Detective Mike Gage
University City Police Department

January 23, 2012

I have not visited this site since I was 44. At 46 I was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer, I'm soon to be 49 and doing well! I miss my Dad still but am greatful to all who write in about knowing him and how he was such a great Man, Son, Brother, Husband, Father and Friend. I was 7 years old when he was killed, I was shy and nothing sank in until later in my life of all I missed out on, all he missed out on and how much everyone's lives had changed forever but I know now. I did work in U City and went to City Hall often, I cherished that building and walking those steps just knowing I walked on the same stones my dad had many times before. The Memorial that has been put up gives me comfort. My Dad has been my unseen but known Angel to me since. He is waiting for me in heaven. I'll see him again one day.

Jeanne Boevingloh (Hendricksn)
Daughter

February 8, 2011

I just happened on this site today and it brought back a flood of memories. Jim was my FTO when I started with U.City,and broke me in. What a great guy and decent person.I was gone from the force when this sad incident occurred,but was second person to get to the hospital right after Stan Topper arrived and then Nick Corea came in.I missed seeing Jim about 5 minutes. Stan said he is gone.That broke my heart.I worked with Wil Downey too.I worked with Jimmy James on the fire dept.(another good friend). Jim Damos was my chief on the PD. Ed Morganthaler my chief on the fire dept.These are times and people you always remember,unfortunately not all good.To Cherie if you are still with us my deepest regards, hopefully not too late.Everyone who knew and worked with Jim had nothing to but good to say about him, even some of the bad guys.When they say the good die young guess that is true.

Jack Bender
Friend and fellow U.City officer

July 2, 2010

Dear Connie,
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a reflection...
Please feel free to contact me.

Warmest regards, Nancy

Nancy Boevingloh
daughter

August 31, 2009

I am not sure any of you will remember me or not. I use to come over to your once in a while when we lived on Bartmer before we moved to Vienna. My dad Jimmy James, was on the U-City Fire Department when this tragedy happened. I am sorry for the loss your family has experienced.

Connie (James) Sandbothe
Friend of the Family

July 23, 2009

What a beautiful man and an inspiration for us all. God bless all of the Boevinglohs who have had to do without their husband, father, son, brother, and uncle. Seven years??

DFC. Daniel O'Donnell
Orange County Sheriff's Office (FL)

September 23, 2008

Det. Boevingloh,
On today, the 38th anniversary of your murder, I would like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice. I can't how your murderers who were sentenced to life only served 7 years? And to your family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.

R.I.P.
Anonymous

Anonymous

January 23, 2008

YOU ARE REMEMBERED TODAY AND THANK YOU SIR FOR YOUR SERIVCE

Pat Van Den Berghe, Manchester, NH
Neighbors for a Better Manchester, NH

January 15, 2008

"The Badge"

He starts his shift each day
To respond to calls unknown.
He drives a marked patrol car.
A police officer he is known.

He's paid by the citizens' taxes
To make it safe on the streets.
But he usually has a second job
'Cause a waitress has his salary beat.

Now he doesn't know a holiday
'Cause he works all year round.
And when Thanksgiving and Christmas finally arrive
At his home he cannot be found.

He's cursed and assaulted often,
The one whos blood runs blue.
He seldom ever gets a thanks,
To some he's just a fool.

His friends are always other cops
'Cause people just don't understand
That underneath his badge and gun,
He's just another man.

He knows there might not be a tomorrow
In this world of drugs and crime.
And he gets so mad at the court system
'Cause the crooks don't get any time.

And each day when he leaves for work,
He prays to God above.
Please bring me home after my shift
So I can see the ones I love.

But tonight he stops a speeding car,
He's alone down this ole' highway.
It's just a little traffic infraction.
He does it everyday.

Well, he walks up to the driver's window,
And his badge is shining bright.
He asked the guy for a driver's license,
When a shot rang through the night.

Yes, the bullet hit its mark,
Striking the officer in the chest.
But the Department's budget didn't buy
Each officer a bullet-proof vest.

So he lay on the ground bleeding.
His blood wasn't blue - His blood was red.
And briefly he thought of his loved ones
'Cause in a moment the officer was dead.

In the news they told the story
Of how this officer had died.
And some who listened cared less,
But those who loved him cried.

Well, they buried him in uniform
With his badge pinned on his chest.
He even had his revolver,
He died doing his best.

Written By:
David L. Bell
Sergeant
Richland County Sheriff's Department
Columbia, South Carolina
Used with Special Permission of the Author
Copyright © 1999 - All Rights Reserved
and may not be duplicated without permission

Investigator David L Bell
Richland County Sheriff's Dept., Columbia, SC

December 11, 2007

Jimmy Boevingloh was my first cousin and godfather. My parents were Bill and Jackie Boevingloh. They loved Jimmy and asked him to be my godfather when I was baptized as an infant. That was a blessing. He was a great example to me of a loving, faithful, and selfless person and the best family man anyone could know. He taught us all to embrace all cultures and faiths and to be devoted to family and work. When he was killed in action, it felt like everything he lived for was violently taken from all of our lives. But then I noticed how his goodness lingered and still taught us. I saw all the people who came to his funeral, both black and white, united in grief in faith and in courage to try and understand what Jimmy had seen all along: "Love one another as I have loved you." I am proud to be a Boevingloh but I am prouder still to know the Boevinglohs and their family and friends who survived this terrible tragedy with a little more faith and forgiveness.

Vicki Boevingloh Garlow
Cousin and goddaughter

February 15, 2007

Jim was 2 yrs. younger than me and a handsome man as well as a generous one. He worked hard and enjoyed life. That Christmas before he was killed we noticed there were no pictures taken of Jim, how odd as there were always lots of them to show later. I wonder now as I look back was this a premonition of what was to come? We still miss him and his smiling face. He was one of ten siblings.

Shirley Fanger
sister

August 28, 2006

The loss of Dad was a devastating, life changing for me. To think that one senseless act could have such an impact on so many lives...Thirty six years later I can see so clearly the damage that his death caused our family and me. There is not a day that passes that I don't think about Dad. I've lived my life believing that he watches over me and that one day I'll see him again.
When I think of my memories of Dad they are all happy. I adored him...I can remember hot summer nights with Dad pitching on the policemen's softball team. And family picnics...happy times. And Dad was always happy, always smiling. I remember him teaching me to play Monopoly and the thrill of finally winning and knowing I had really won. I remember wanting to be an embryologist at the age of 8 and Dad building me a little laboratory complete with a chemistry set. I remember when I wanted to win the spelling bee that Dad always helped me study...always patient...always proud of me. I have so many memories of Dad...fragments really. Kind of like frozen moments...Dad in his uniform...dancing with Mom...shooting pool.
He was the type of guy who would give you the shirt off of his back...such a good, gentle hearted man. A man who saw the good in everyone. A week before he was killed I remember him giving a talk to my brother, sister and me about how wrong prejudice was. That it didn't matter what color a person was. And that there were good and bad whites and good and bad blacks. When he was killed by a black man I held onto what he had been telling us. It wasn't a black man who killed my father...it was a bad man.

Nancy Boevingloh

August 26, 2006

Hello,

I wish I had known this wonderfull man. I have heard many things throughout the years passed onto me by my Mother, Jeanne Hendrickson. I don't have any stories to share, but I think it's wonderfull that this website is here. God bless Police Officer's.

V/R,

Kimberly Hendrickson

SSgt Kimberly Hendrickson
Daughter of Jeanne Hendrickson

August 14, 2006

My big brother, Jim. He was about 14 years older than me so I only knew him as a "big brother". I was about 9 when he married Cherie, his wife. He was also a "cop" by then. I remember him best living next door to us on Bartmer. Then when kids came along I was his local babysitter. When he moved elsewhere in U. City he used to pick me up to baby-sit in a police car. What a thrill!

I remember him walking into my parent's house, where the door was never locked, smiling and saying, "I could've been a burglar", in an attempt to get them to lock their doors. They didn't. But my mom and dad always smiled when Jim walked in. He had a ready grin, and usually some kind of joke. He was terribly handsome, and always well dressed. He made everyone proud.

He first introduced me to "bagels". He would bring pastries home from Pratzel's Bakery in U. City. Little did I know that the big round "doughnuts" were hard and chewy. They were bagels. He got a laugh out of that.

I remember Jimmy working at "Wig Wam" the U. City teen town on Friday nights in U. City in the 60's. We went to Mercy High School and it was held across the street from it. But the Mercy kids didn't go there, just the U. City High kids. Jimmy had stories about working at that group. He apparently was well liked and a good role model for those kids.

When I grew up and became a social worker, often I got the feeling that I was doing a lot of the same things that Jim had done. Yes, he was a police officer, but I knew he had been kind-hearted and helped people too. I came to see the humanness in each individual like I knew he did. I went to see people in prison and knew that he had done that too. And I would fight to the end for someone who needed my help. He did that too.

Even though he was one of my big brothers, my world tilted off its axis when he was murdered. My dad died 2 weeks later, too. Everything shifted from that time on. We were a big, safe family and now all that changed. Not one of us will ever forget Jim. He remains a happy, positive memory to this day. I know I will see him again.
Kathy Boevingloh Squires

Kathy Boevingloh Squires
Sister

August 10, 2006

Jim was a good and loving husband. He loved his job and he was a very good police detective. We all still miss him and his children were effected by his death.

Cherie
Widow

August 10, 2006

I remember Jimmy as being the best softball pitcher in the neighborhood. His fast pitch was unhittable and he was in demand while he was in the in the army and afterwards as a civilian for his pitching ability. He was the only Boevingloh with any real athletic ability. We were all amazed and very proud of him. His smile was engaging and he was fun to be around. The rest of us liked to fish and hunt and camp but he said he never enjoyed any of that stuff and he never did go. Sports was his joy in life. He was his own man and we could count on him when we needed him. When my wife Mary hemorrhaged after giving birth to our son Eric, Jimmy went to the hospital to give blood for her. He was a good guy and is still greatly missed by his family 35 years later.
Brother John Boevingloh

John Boevingloh
Brother

August 10, 2006

I miss my dad as I was only seven years old at the time of his murder. I'm 44 years old now. I am like a sponge to what people have to say about my dad as I've grown to know him through other people who have. I work in University City now and have seen the "wall" at City Hall. I appreciate that everytime I am their. I think of how many times I walk over the same concrete that he had decades ago each and everytime I am there.

My mother did a wonderful job in raising us after his death and we are all doing fine. I would love to hear from people that knew my dad and stories they have to tell about him. Thank you, Jeanne

Jeanne
Daughter

July 29, 2006

To the family of James Boevingloh and all my close friends at the University City Police Department, my continued deepest sympathy to you all.

Although this may have happened many years ago, the evil of this incident has remained etched in my mind; but so has pleasant memories of Jim and my father working to make the city a safer place for us.

I have often thought of Jim, Wilbert Downey and Francis Graham and felt that they have been looking after me during my law enforcement career even though it has taken me far from University City.

I hope you all continue to find the peace and comfort of the Lord that I know Jim found in his new assignment.

Peter Damos
St. Louis County Police ( 1975 - 1981 )
U.S. Secret Service - San Antonio

Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge
U.S. Secret Service - San Antonio

April 21, 2005

Det. Boevingloh, I remember that day that you were shot and killed. May you rest in peace with Officers Downey and Graham.

PO Tim Tumbrink
Saint Louis Police Department

January 13, 2005