Stephen F. Esslinger

Stephen F. Esslinger, 69, of Elmwood, passed away at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at the OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home in Peoria. He was born August 9, 1946 in Washington, IL to Russell M. and Neva Lichtenberger Esslinger. They preceded him in death. He married Bonnie Frazelle in Lewistown, IL on May 14, 1966. She survives. Also surviving are three children, Dawn (Mike) Carter of Lindenhurst, IL, Tonya (Mike) Doty of Peoria, Heather (Lendsy) Gaiter of Peoria; nine grandchildren, Brittany, Alexus, Ashlee, Kevin, Trever, Zach, Uniquek, Ellaina, Sierra; three great-grandchildren, Aniyah, Nevaeh, Kiyan; sister, Camille (John) Gibson of Peoria; sister-in-law, Jeri (Butch) Guenther of Eureka; and two nephews, Eric (Michelle) Guenther of Washington and Shawn (Abby) Guenther of Decatur. Stephen worked as a Police Officer for the City of Peoria. “Essy” as he became known in the department was hired by the City of Peoria Police Department in November of 1971. His skills and abilities led to him being chosen as a Field Training Officer, bearing the responsibility for training newly hired police officers and he continued to serve in this capacity until his promotion to the rank of Sergeant in 1983. Many officers he trained still call him “Dad” As a Sergeant he supervised the Communication Dispatch and Information Center, Third Shift Patrol, and the Special Investigations Division. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1993 and graduated from the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command. During his time as a Lieutenant he served as Commander of several divisions including, Third Shift Patrol, Juvenile, Criminal Investigations, and Special Investigations. He was appointed Captain on June 6, 1999 and was the Commander of The Uniformed Services Division, the largest division of the police department until his retirement on March 20, 2003. He was proud to be a Peoria Police Officer. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home in Peoria. Stephen’s visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, August 16, 2015 at Deiters Funeral Home and Crematory in Washington. Funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Monday, August 17 at The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, with further visitation there one hour prior to Mass. Burial will be at LeHigh Cemetery in rural Elmwood.

Stephen F. Esslinger

August 9, 1946 - August 11, 2015