A memorial service has been scheduled for the Colorado State Patrol trooper who was killed while assisting a motorist Wednesday during a blizzard on Interstate 76.
Cpl. Daniel Groves, 52, of Johnstown, will be honored at 10 a.m. Thursday at LifeBridge Church, 10345 Ute Highway, Longmont.
A private procession took place for the trooper last week, and a public procession is planned for Thursday, though details of the route have not yet been released, Trooper Gary Cutler, a state patrol spokesman, said.
Groves is survived by his parents Howard and Eileen Groves of Illinois, his partner of more than two years, Eddie Gomez, his siblings and their spouses, and extended family, according to
His law enforcement career began in 2007 when he joined the Colorado State Patrol in Frisco. He later moved to a new assignment in Denver and then was promoted to corporal in Weld County. Prior to that, he worked in technology services in Chicago, the obituary said.
In honor of Corporal Dan Groves we have a patrol car outside at our Greeley office. If you would like to leave a memento on it, the car will be available until the funeral.
— Colorado State Patrol (@CSP_News)
“A kind and spiritual man, he will be fondly remembered by all as a man with an infinite capacity to love, and a genuine desire to protect and serve,” the obituary said.
Colorado State Patrol held a news conference on Thursday, mourning his loss and pleading with drivers to slow down on the road. Groves had stopped to help a motorist who slid off I-76 in a blizzard on Wednesday when he was struck by another passing vehicle.
On Sunday, the agency honored Groves and other state troopers killed in the line of duty and displayed banners reminding drivers of the state’s “Move Over” law for first responders.
Proud to remember our brothers who gave the ultimate sacrifice!
— Colorado State Patrol (@CSP_News)
