In Memoriam

EHS wishes to extend belated condolences to member Marion Lettner, whose husband passed away last June.

James Lettner, 85, a retired Chicago police officer, spent 28 years on the force, from 1943 to 1971, directing traffic at the corner of Adams and State Streets in the Loop. He died in Edgewater Hospital.

“He was so easygoing, people used to call him ‘The Altar Boy’,” said Marion. “He wasn’t one to give out tickets. He never left directing traffic at that one corner. He loved his job.”

His experiences included once arresting a Santa Claus for being inebriated and wrestling a gun away from a robber who had pressed it against his chest. The man with the gun returned five years later with his wife to thank the on-duty police officer for saving his life.

Survivors, besides his wife, include two sons, James and George; a daughter, Jane Rowland; 12 grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.