Portion of Route 20 near Pingree Grove dedicated to fallen state trooper
Even though it came nearly 30 years later, the dedication of a portion of Route 20 to an Illinois state trooper who died on the job was no less poignant for her loved ones.
Route 20 between Plank and Switzer roads near Pingree Grove was designated "Trooper April C. Styburski Memorial Highway" in a ceremony Wednesday morning that was attended by about 100 people, including relatives, friends, state troopers, retired law enforcement, firefighters, and local and state elected officials. The ceremony was held at the municipal center in Pingree Grove and included a procession that stopped by the sign in Styburski's honor on Route 20.
Styburski, who lived in Aurora, died after slipping on black ice on Route 20 while responding to a call Jan. 5, 1990. She left behind her husband, Dean Styburski, whom she had met when they both served in the Army Reserve, and their 8-month-old son, Steven.
Steven Styburski, now 30, said the emotional ceremony gave him greater appreciation for his mother's job and sacrifice, as well as the pain felt by her colleagues. He flew in from Arizona, where he is a staff sergeant with the Arizona National Guard.
"I was extremely young when it happened, so it wasn't something that I had to process as a kid," he said. "As I got older, obviously my dad and I talked about it, but it wasn't something that I had to deal with. ... Today, meeting all the people who were working the day it happened, or who had worked with her, and talking to them, it brought up a lot of emotions that I really never had to deal with."
The dedication of the portion of Route 20 stemmed from a legislative request made by Illinois Troopers Lodge 41, Fraternal Order of Police to state Rep. Dan Ugaste and state Sen. Don DeWitte, state police said.
The renaming is "just a small token of appreciation," DeWitte said Wednesday. "It's our responsibility to ensure all of our police officers' sacrifices are never forgotten."
Dean Styburski, who has remarried and lives in Bloomingdale, attended the ceremony with his wife, Rosetta, two other children, his father and other relatives. He works as assistant superintendent of parks for the Lombard Park District.
April Styburski served as a state trooper for about four years. She was personable, got along with everybody, and loved her job and being a mom, Dean Styburski said.
The night she died, she was on her way home at the end of her shift but heard a call about an accident and responded because she was closer than the assigned trooper, he said.
"It was one of those terrible black ice nights," he said. As she got out of her car, she slipped, hit her head and died of asphyxiation after choking on the contents of her stomach, he said. "It was a freak thing," he said.
Dean Styburski said the dedication was a welcome remembrance, especially for his son. "He did not know his mother ... because he was only less than 9 months old. He's lived through the memories of us survivors."