Grundy County sheriff dies
By BRIAN STANLEY bstanley@stmedianetwork.com December 14, 2012 10:16AM
Terry Marketti
Updated: January 17, 2013 6:29AM
Grundy County Sheriff Terry Marketti died in his sleep Thursday night.
Coroner John W. Callahan said Marketti was found in his Gardner home by family members around 7:30 a.m. Friday.
“Marketti had been treating medical issues and passed away in his sleep of natural causes,” Callahan said.
Marketti, 56, grew up in South Wilmington and had been with the sheriff’s department for 34 years. Marketti’s first job was working in a relative’s grocery store but he soon became interested in politics and law enforcement.
After serving in patrol and investigations, he was named chief deputy by then-Sheriff James Olson in 1986. After taking over upon Olson’s death in March 2004, the Democrat ran unopposed in 2006 and was elected again in 2010.
“I started (on the department) when I was 21 and have been doing this for 32 years. It gets in your blood,” he told The Herald-News during his last campaign.
The lifelong Cubs fan had held season tickets five rows behind the dugout since 1980 but frequently donated his seats as raffle prizes for charities throughout Grundy County.
Will County Sheriff Paul Kaupas called his colleague “a good guy” and said he’d appreciated Marketti’s willingness to ask for and offer help.
While the smaller department frequently requested Will County’s SWAT team as Marketti wanted additional manpower, he also regularly offered his jail facilities to address overcrowding issues, Kaupas said.
Callahan, a Republican, said despite being political opposites Marketti was a friend and “easy to work with.”
“He was very upfront and (understood) our offices had to support each other to serve the residents of Grundy County as they’re supposed to. It wasn’t about him,” the coroner said.
When Marketti became sheriff in 2004 he officially named Chief Deputy Kevin Callahan as his successor. Callahan will finish the term as acting sheriff with the approval of the county board.
An emotional Callahan said Marketti’s death was completely unexpected and that he was devastated by the loss of “his best friend in the world.”
“The thing he taught me most about law enforcement was never give up, especially when I worked investigations — ( a unit) he had supervised,” Callahan said. “He was great to work with and we developed quite a friendship outside of work.”
Funeral services are pending at R. W. Patterson Funeral Home in Braidwood.
