3 days ago
‘Went all out for everything'; Remembering Trooper Corey Thompsen through running
ST. JOSEPH, Ill. (WCIA) — Ryan Thompsen sat on his parent's patio Thursday afternoon. Last summer, he was in the same spot for a shared birthday party for him and his brother, Corey.
'He had hung up this huge screen for us to watch a movie,' Ryan said. 'He had the whole sound system set up for it, he had the projector set up for it, the screen set up — he just went 110% for anything that involved our family.'
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The Thompsen family of five became a family of four back in October when Corey was killed in the line of duty. The 28-year-old Illinois State Trooper was hit by a truck when he was finishing up a traffic stop.
Nearly eight months without his brother, Ryan said he holds onto Corey's attitude and determination.
'He went all out for everything,' Ryan said.
That drive carried Corey through college, the police academy and the Illinois State Police Academy. It also helped the stand-out athlete cross finish line after finish line.
The day of Corey's accident, Ryan had just gotten home from coaching a cross country meet.
'I had a text from my dad to me and my youngest brother, 'Hey you need to come home. Corey's had an accident,'' Ryan said.
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Corey was one of three boys, four years and nine days apart from Ryan, who said the loss is still surreal.
'It's never seemed like he's gone,' Ryan said. 'Sometimes it just really hits you.'
Ongoing events and efforts to raise money for a memorial scholarship help his family feel closer to the 28-year-old.
'[It] doesn't matter that he's my younger brother, that's somebody I can look up to for the rest of my life,' Ryan said.
The Trooper Thompsen Memorial 5K is the family's latest way of keeping Corey's memory alive.
'He and I shared plenty of passions, especially running together,' Ryan said. 'We want it to be an event that everybody can show up to and feel like their community is together and just experiencing a really fun time.'
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Ryan said he feels Corey's presence everywhere and all the time. He hopes people walk away from Saturday's race feeling the same.
The event is Saturday, June 14 at the Woodard Family Park in St. Joseph. In addition to the 5K and kid's mile, a silent auction and 50/50 raffle will also be going on.
All proceeds will benefit the Trooper Corey Thompsen scholarship.
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