Retired Elgin cop known for community service dies

After a life dedicated to policing and helping others, Tom Linder of Elgin died quietly Wednesday with his beloved wife of 31 years at his side.

Linder, 61, had suffered a devastating stroke in May 2012 and never regained mobility or the ability to talk, despite therapy and the close care of his wife and family.

"It was very quiet," his wife, Dawn Linder, said of his death. "It was just he and I in his room. I knew he was going. The Lord just gave us some quiet time together, and I let him go."

"He's walking and talking, and rejoicing in heaven," she said. "It's joyful. He's not burdened by anything, or a body that won't work for him."

The stroke came a mere three months after Tom Linder retired as a sergeant after a 27-year career with the Elgin Police Department. Officers organized two fundraisers to help the family with medical bills over the years.

"The guy did great work for the city of Elgin," Cmdr. Colin Fleury said. "Everybody knew him. That's why he had so many people at his fundraisers."

Tom Linder held a variety of assignments after being promoted to sergeant in 1993, including the drug unit and as assistant to the chief for internal affairs.

He was a mentor who didn't hesitate to back up officers on patrol and discuss his own mistakes as a way to teach others, Elgin police officer Lorenz Burkert said. He recognized hard work, even rewarding officers with restaurant gift cards paid with his own money, Burkert said.

"He was a good guy to go to, because he always understood where the guys were coming from and where they needed to get to," he said. "He was going to do right by others and nothing was going to stop him."

Tom Linder grew up in East Dundee along the banks of the Fox River, and he loved the outdoors, fishing and camping, his wife said. He had a deep faith and was dedicated to serving others in his personal life, too.

He was devoted to the Boy Scouts - he was an Eagle Scout, as were his two sons - and to charity work, including missions to Brazil and Costa Rica through Christ Community Church in St. Charles. In 2009, he co-founded the Christian-based Project 8110, which trains people in underdeveloped countries, such as Sierra Leone, to provide dental and optometry services. He also used to dress up as Santa Claus for St. Joseph Hospital.

Linder was known for being physically strong - he'd survived a first, milder stroke years ago, and even a bout of malaria and a broken arm during missions in foreign countries, Burkert said. "That's why we thought he would come back from this one, too," he said.

Tom Linder also is survived by his children Patrick, of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Benjamin, of Elgin; and Annie, of Peoria; his sisters Kathe Stephenson of Algonquin, and Mary Newman of Jamul, California; his brother Joe Linder of Hampshire; and several nieces and nephews.

Tom Linder wanted to be cremated, his wife said. The family will gather at a yet-to-be-determined date in a few weeks to hold a viewing and have a public memorial to spread his ashes into the Fox River.