Steve Tometich

Steve P. Tometich, 92, retired Police Chief of the Bettendorf Police Department, died Thursday, May 30, 2013 at Trinity Bettendorf.

Funeral Services and Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, June 3, 2013 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Bettendorf.  Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf. A Christian Wake Service will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday at the funeral home.   Burial will be in Davenport Memorial Park where military honors will be conducted by the Bettendorf VFW Post 9128.  Memorials may be made to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church or to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Steve was born May 12, 1921 in Numa, Iowa, the son of August & Rose (Kauzlarich) Tometich.  During World War II, he served his country honorably with the United States Navy aboard the USS Calvert.  After the war, he had been a coal miner at the Newblock Mining Company in Numa where he had previously worked since he was 17.

He was united in marriage to Barbara Tomlinson on July 3, 1948 in Bettendorf.  She preceded him in death on January 19, 2009.

Arriving in the Quad-Cities after the war, Steve had worked briefly on the railroads and for Deere & Company.  In 1948, he took the civil service exam for the Bettendorf Police Department.  He became a patrolman and then served as Chief of Police from 1952 until his retirement in 1979.

Upon retirement, Steve then worked for the Public Works Department of Bettendorf in the sign department and also for Sivyer Steel and for the Pleasant Valley School District.

Steve was a life-long member of the VFW Post 9128 in Bettendorf.  His other memberships included the Croatian Club of Moline, Illinois, the American Legion, the Bettendorf Lions Club, the Iowa State Policeman’s Association and the Iowa Association of Chiefs of Police and Peace Officers.

Over the years, he had enjoyed gardening, fishing trips to Minnesota and especially spending time with his beloved family.  Steve was a proud and dedicated resident of Bettendorf and had most recently served as the Fourth of July parade marshal in 2009.  His compassion and his many years of civil and community service will be remembered by many.

Those left to honor his memory include his daughter and son-in-law, Janice & Darrell Ridgeway of Bettendorf; his son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Mary Tometich of Bettendorf; his grandchildren, Carie (Mike)Rohm, Stephanie (Chad) Gainey and Josh Kroeger; his great-grandchildren, Cassidy Ridgeway, Brooklyn Rohm and Taylor Gainey; and his sisters, Theresa (James) Weber of Laguna La Paz, California and Eva Reum of San Angelo, Texas.

In addition to his wife, Barbara, Steve was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Marie Frye; and his brother, August Tometich.