Funeral services set for longtime Naperville police officer

Funeral services will be held Friday for a retired Naperville police officer, Richie Joe Matchett, who died from cancer Aug. 6 at Edward Hospital in Naperville.

A 28-year veteran of the force and an avid Chicago Blackhawks fan, Matchett, 55, of Oswego, retired on Dec. 13, 2013, police said in a news release.

Matchett was a military policeman in the U.S. Army before joining a North Dakota police department in 1981 as a patrol officer.

He became a police officer in Genoa in 1984 and then joined the Naperville department on July 1, 1985. During his career in Naperville, he served as a patrol officer, field training officer, police canine officer, traffic officer, a member of the honor guard and as an adviser to the department's Explorer post. He served as president of the police union from 2002 through 2007.

During his Naperville career he received three Meritorious Unit Awards, two Chief's Commendations, two Supervisor commendations, and more than 100 letters of appreciation from schools, police departments and residents.

Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home, 44 S. Mill St., Naperville. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home.