Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

We will deeply miss John. He was a customer here at our bank and everyone of us loved when he would come to do his banking. He had some wonderful stories he told us and he always managed to make us laugh! You could tell the love for his children just by listening to him speak and he was proud to be an officer. Otsego County lost a true hero! John will FOREVER be in our thoughts!! Rest in Peace!

The Girls at First Federal
Gaylord, MI

November 4, 2004

Hello,
It really helps to read the wonderful words from so many people about John. I miss him so much. He is always on my mind, in my heart and in my dreams. Memories are all we have left. Thank you all for sharing yours here.
Blessings,
Mary

Safe Again
Words and Music by
Carole King

Seems so hard
All I want to do is let down my guard
Laugh like a child and play out in the yard
I want to feel safe again

I don't know
What happened to you, where did you go
Wish I could not feel the cold wind blow
I want to feel safe again

If only I could believe everything will soon be
like all the fairy tales I've read
But I feel so lost and naked
And I wake up with the shape of a dream
In my head

Seems so hard
All I want to do is let down my guard
Get through just one more day unscarred
I want to feel safe again
I want to feel safe again
Safe again with you

October 25, 2004

God Speed, Brother.

P.O.K.Murphy
Union PD, NJ

October 25, 2004

I recently ran across this website and noticed an officer from my home town was killed in an accident. I am still recovering from a major accident I was in on the 4th of this month, I too am cop in the military. I am very thankful to be alive and still walking. I see the pain near death incidents cause to family and friends and can only imagine what death would bring. Although I never knew you, I feel it is still my duty as a fellow officer to pay my respects. Your family and friends remain in my prayers and cannot possibly know the kind of pain they are enduring. May you go to a better place and one day be reunited with your family.

Senior Airman Michael Friend
US Air Force

October 25, 2004

john you are a good friend i keep looking here hoping not to see your name and finding out it was just a bad dream. but i see it and know it's not a dream. miss seeing your smiling face and hearing your jokes. you where a great man. rest in peace. and i'll see you again.

woofy

October 21, 2004

Thank you everyone for your reflections of my Dad. Whenever I am having a down day reading your thoughts helps me to feel better. My dad was a great guy and is missed by many. Dad... I love you and I will never forget.

Karissa Gunsell

October 18, 2004

We will miss seeing the smoling face go by on the road you where one fine deputy and one great person our county lost on heck of a deputy Rest in Peace and save me some round in heaven so we can joke around again miss you deeply

Otsego county res.

October 11, 2004

I had known John for twenty years. We had a relationship that at times would surprise people. John was quite a teaser, he would tease until I was just flaming mad, this would please him so much that he would laugh so hard that his stomach would just shake.
John use to house sit for me, he would take care of my dog and cat while I was gone. He too would deep fry everything and when I would return home, there would be a distinctive odor in the atmosphere that I would enjoy for days. I never said anything to John, would just clean the kitchen.
When either John or I were going through some bad times, we would sit for hours and talk and talk... John was a great talker, sometimes he would give me a line of bull that would go for miles, but all in all he would listen and tell me that things would be o.k.
John was a person that would do whatever he could for someone that he cared about. Even if you were just someone he newly met. If you talked to him long enough you would find a common ground and pretty soon he would have you on his "beef jerky, turkey jerkey and bear jerky list". You might as well face it right there... You have a new friend for life.
It seems like John is just on vacation. Here at office, he IS still very much present. I miss my friend of so many years and there is a void that no other will fill.
Thank you John, for all that you did for me; for understanding when I couldn't; for playing "match-maker", for taking me hunting and drinking a few beer's with me. And of course Thank You... For just being you..
Peace.. My friend
Double "E"

Corrections Officer Elyse E. Meyette
Otsego County Sheriff Department

October 7, 2004

John,
I picked up a convict from your jail, the day you went to heaven to guard heavens best (your new partol assignment). As I was pulling into Gaylord the news was on the radio and I learned of your passing. When I got to the jail I saw a Marine Corps Sticker on an office window. I saw a Lieutenant that looked like he could have been a Marine. When I talked to him he told me that he was in the Air Force and the Marine Corps sticker was put there by you as practicle joke, like the person that you are. The Lt. got choked up telling me this story but it was evident that you had made a huge impression on the people you worked with.
As a fellow Crash Investigator and Deputy I salute you for the dedication you gave to Law Enforcement and community. I did not know you but I know that a BROTHER was lost.

Deputy, Mike Soltis
Ingham County Sheriffs Office

October 6, 2004

My husband (Bill) and I both had the pleasure of working with John at Otsego County Sheriff Dept. I worked dispatch and Bill worked Marine Patrol. John was a jolly person, a smile that made you wonder what was coming next. He will be missed by many and kept in our memory always. Our heart goes out to the department for this is not an easy time. Thanks for the memories John! Bill,Pat and Erin Redpath/Surprise AZ

Pat Redpath/Former Dispatcher
Maricopa County Adult Probation

September 25, 2004

We had the honor of working with John in many arenas. I first got to know John as a dispatcher for Otsego Co, and with our involvement on our Fire and Rescue Dept, it was always comforting when the responding officer to our scenes was John. He was always willing to help, and if the situation was tense, he could be counted on to bolster us up with his ever present positive attitude and a joke when necessary. He would even intoduce me to people on scene as his former dispatcher and sometimes stories would follow!! But no matter what, he was always the caring, and professional police officer. Proud of his children and his job.
John, you will be missed more than you will ever know, but we are better because we knew you.

Don and Diane Franckowiak
Elmira-Warner Fire Dept

September 25, 2004

I met John 3.5 years ago when I first came to Gaylord. We hit it off right away. We rode donkeys together during the fair, John's donkey would not let him on it, it was hillarious. John, his family, and mine went bear hunting together. John was so excited on the day before his passing, he told me he got a bear, I thought one was coming in to where we were going to hunt this year, but then he told me someone had hit one on I-75, John, you got your bear. We had a lot of laughs. I can tell these stories now, John, you won't get in trouble. John was always there to help no matter what the cost. Once while hunting my brother got his truck stuck, so John stole a bull dozer to pull him out. The bull dozer had stalled and John was so scared that it would not start again, but it finally did. John let me borrow his vehicle to go to WI beacuse my dad was having emergency surgery, and I didn't have a vehicle to take there. John never asked questions and never wanted anything in return. Just like the morning of John's accident. I asked John to come help me on an accident. With no hestiation John was on his way.
John I will never forget all you have done for me and my family. I love you brother, I will miss you, but I will see you again someday. Your spirit lives on!

Deputy Amy Klepadlo(Moon)
Otsego County Sheriff Department

September 25, 2004

I stop by this website often after the death of our son's partner who went to heaven the same day as you, and the same way as you, Deputy Gunsell.

We all grieve over the lives lost in the line of duty. We hope you can find some comfort knowing that there are countless prayers that go out for your family.

God bless the men and women who continue to serve their communities in our great nation.

Life is eternal. You are gone only from our sight, but you will never be forgotten. We will meet some day. We love you.

Grandma & Grandpa Hinkle
Parents of a Kern County, CA Deputy Sheriff

September 24, 2004

Rest well deputy...we have the streets from here. You served your community, state and county well.

Trooper Denis McGuckin
Michigan State Police

September 24, 2004

It is so very sad to see another deputy with the mitten on his patch go down....God Speed, Deputy Gunsell....please watch out for the rest of your brethren in brown.....

wife of a Sgt
Macomb County Sheriff Dept, MI

September 21, 2004

BUFFALO, NEW YORK

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS POLICE
OFFICERS SENT OUR CONDOLENCES. OUR
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH DEPUTY
GUNSELL, HIS FAMILY AND CO-WORKERS.

GOD BLESS...

PO ERNEST G. PENN
DEPT. OF VETERANS AFFAIRS POLICE

September 19, 2004

My fiance, Dennis McElderry, was the first law enforcement casualty of 2003. Dennis was a Deputy Sheriff with the Davis County Sheriff's Office in southeast Iowa. Dennis died doing a job he loved, just as I'm sure Johndid. It saddens me to know that Dennis was not the first to die in the line of duty, nor will he and John be the last to die this way.

Having gone through the pain of losing Dennis I can truly understand and feel the pain that Deputy Gunsell's family, friends, and co-workers must be feeling. My heart goes out to you all, especially to his wife. No one can truly understand the pain of our loss until they've walked in our shoes. I wish I could give you a few words of wisdom to help you through this tough time, but there isn't anything I can really say or do to make the situation better. Just know that my thoughts are with you.

Please accept my condolences on behalf of the McElderry family and remember that John is part of huge law enforcement family. If you ever need anything any number of them will be there for you (as I've quickly found out!) From reading the many reflections posted here, I am certain John was well respected and well loved.

Thank you Deputy Gunsell for a job well done and for helping to make this world a safer place for us all. Please say "hello" to my fiance Dennis for me.

Peace, Love, Luck, and Happiness!

Jocelyne Brar (Winnipeg, MB Canada)
Fiancee of Deputy Sheriff Dennis Ray McElderry - EOW (01/03/03)

September 19, 2004

Rest in peace Deputy Sheriff Gunsell. Your families will be in my prayers. Watch over your brothers and sisters in blue...they need you now more than ever.

Sterling Heights PD (Michigan)

September 19, 2004

I remember the first time I met John "Rollie" Gunsell. It was the early 80's in Sebewaing, Michigan. No one in Sebewaing called him John. He was always known as Rollie and always will be to a lot of us "Old Timers". I grew up not far from John in a neighboring town. John always had something interesting to say and could make you laugh at any moment. When I moved from the thumb area, I kind of lost track of John, until he "re-surfaced" in Gaylord, as a Deputy with Otsego County. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a personal visit at my department from John, just "letting you know I was in the area". Since then, several visits and conversations have passed by, always with the ending of "We'll have to get together some time and have a few beers", etc.
About 4 weeks before his passing I ran into John at the Gaylord Home Depot. He had his children in "tow" and was planning on digging a pond. I don't know how the pond ended up, but it was quite obvious to me that John was a good, caring father to his kids. I regret missing the opportunity to "Get together and have those few beers". How many times does a person put off visiting an old friend or relative because of work, inconvenience, or just the old "I'll stop by and see them someday". John wasn't the type to put off visiting an old friend. He got the job done. John's passing has taught me no more putting off those things that you will someday do, or get to. If we wait too long, we may never get the chance! John was a good man, and the world was made a better place because of him.
My thoughts, prayers and sympathy to John's family.

Assistant Chief
Boyne City P.D.

September 18, 2004

We are deeply saddened at John's loss.
--------------------------------------
We all recall you gave your best.
You did your job, now you can rest.
Your comrades now can cover your post
as you take your place with the Heavenly Host.

God Bless Our Fallen Brothers & Sisters.
---------------------------------------
Our prayers will be with you, your family, and co-workers!

Ptlm. P.K. Harding
Binghamton (NY) P.D.

September 18, 2004

John was a big man but his heart was biger. No matter how bad your day was going he would say or do something to get you to laugh. It is a honer to be able to call John a freind for he treated everyone alike. I will deeply miss him for a good freind like John is hard to find. John i miss you but will not forget are freidship

Woofy
wreacker driver

September 18, 2004

I was lucky enough to meet John this past year. He was always smiling and had a great attitude. John made quite the impression on my 4 year old twins. When i heard the news that John had died i was deeply saddened. I was looking forward to having John bring "Buster the Bus" over to our community, as he loved that program. I would like to dedicate the song "broken" by seether as it reminds me of John and how i feel as i grieve over him. I do know also that John loved his children deeply and always talked about them...My prayers are with you kids...

dana haney

September 18, 2004

I met Deputy Gunsell one time a couple of years ago. We were both on duty and he brought a inmate to our county jail. We talked for quite some time and he made me feel like I had known him for a long time. I am proud of the fact that I had the chance to meet and talk to John. To the Gunsell family, friends, and law enforcement community I am sorry for this loss. Rest in peace Deputy John Gunsell.

Deputy Shawn Schnoor
Crawford County Sheriff's Office

September 18, 2004

To John's children-

Let there be no doubt how much your father loved you. Thank you for sharing your kind honorable father with us. He made the world a better place, and will never be forgotten. Julie Delaney, Otsego County resident and Magistrate

September 17, 2004

To Deputy Sheriff Gunsell family, friends, and the Otsego County Sheriff's Department. I would like to extend my condolences and deepest sympathy. My thoughts and prays are with you all. Thanks Deputy Sheriff Gunsell for a job well done; may your soul rest in peace.

Patrol Officer
Prince George's County, Maryland

September 17, 2004