DuPage County mourning former Sheriff Richard Doria

Richard Doria is being remembered this week as a hard-nosed, cigar-chomping cop who served 20 years as DuPage County's sheriff before retiring in April 1997 to accept a post with the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.

A former Marine and World War II combat veteran, he tended to lay down the law with his officers without a lot of room for discussion. He was never afraid to speak his mind during his 35-year career with the office and his tenure was not without controversy.

When he stepped down in 1997 at age 69, he wrote a letter to his employees that said “This department has been my life for over 35 years and I have led it for over 20. I'm extremely proud of our accomplishments and of the men and women who have worked for me. I will leave with many fond memories and a certain amount of sadness.”

Doria, of Downers Grove, died Jan. 17 surrounded by family; he was 92.

Visitation will be from 2 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, at Adams Winterfield Sullivan Funeral Home, 4343 Main St., Downers Grove. Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at Saint Isaac Jogues Church, 306 W. 4th St., Hinsdale, followed by a graveside service and burial at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.

He is survived by his wife of 31 years, MaryEllen Provenzale, a retired DuPage County judge.

Prior to joining the office in 1962, Doria served as township constable. Once he joined the sheriff's office, he served as a patrol officer, a detective and an undercover narcotics investigator.

He nearly left in 1992 to become U.S. Marshal for Northern Illinois, a position offered by President George H.W. Bush. But the election of President Bill Clinton foiled that plan.

Even when stepping down, to be replaced by John Zaruba, Doria promised to remain a ghostly presence at the jail in Wheaton.

“When they hear the saber rattling,” he said at the time, “they'll know I'm there.”

Doria is credited with establishing the sheriff's crime lab, founding the county's Major Crimes Task Force, creating the office's Hazardous Device Unit and expanding the jail.

“Sheriff Doria was my first mentor at the DuPage County Sheriff's Office when he hired me in 1996. He was always a well-respected yet tough sheriff who always did the right thing and was always very clear with his direction,” Sheriff James Mendrick said in a written statement. “The first advice he gave me was to never lie, regardless of the circumstances, and I've always taken that advice very seriously. I will miss him and I can't thank him enough for helping me get to where I am today.”

Doria and his office drew fire when four of his deputies, along with three former DuPage prosecutors, were charged with framing Rolando Cruz for the abduction, rape and murder of Naperville schoolgirl Jeanine Nicarico. All seven were found not guilty in June 1999.

DuPage Judge John Kinsella was an assistant state's attorney during portions of Doria's tenure and remembers him as “always a high-energy guy.”

He recalled a time when members of the Ku Klux Klan and counter protesters faced off outside the county courthouse. “Doria was right there on the front lines,” he said.

The sheriff was known to have pictures of his enemies hanging on a dartboard near his desk. But he also kept the ashes of his dog, Goldie, in his office for 10 years because he couldn't bear to bury her.

In a 1997 interview with the Daily Herald, this is how he described himself:

“When I attended the FBI Academy, we ran seminars on what type of managers we were. Everybody thought I would come out ‘authoritarian' ... and I came out a ‘benevolent autocrat,' which basically means I expect my orders to be obeyed. That's part of my Marine Corps background. I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it. On the other hand, nobody gets to my people until they get over the top of me. I protect them. They're loyal to me, and I'm loyal to them.”

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to memorialize his life are encouraged to contact The Shriners Hospital for Children to become mentors for the disabled children or the disabled veterans organization of their choice.