LAKE FOREST, Ill. (NEWS3) — State officials will hold a highway dedication service on Monday to honor and remember fallen Illinois State Trooper Gerald “Jerry” Ellis.
The ceremony will take place at the Townline Community Park located at 1555 Kennedy Road in Lake Forest at 10 a.m. There will be a procession to the dedication site.
Trooper Ellis died in the line of duty on March 30 when he was struck head-on by a wrong-way driver. Ellis was on his way home from duty traveling on I-94 near Green Oaks when he was hit by a driver driving under the influence of alcohol.
A stretch of the highway will be named Trooper Gerald W. Ellis Memorial Highway.
Lawmakers, law enforcement, and family and friends will be in attendance for the dedication ceremony to celebrate Trooper Ellis’ life and career.
Trooper Ellis was an 11-year veteran of the Illinois State Police, assigned to District 15 in Downers Grove. Trooper Ellis was from Colchester and a US Army Veteran.
Illinois State Police and the city of Colchester dedicated a park in Trooper Ellis’ name, called the Gerald “Jerry” Ellis Memorial Park, in September.
