"THANK YOU" sign at Andy Brandt Marina lit up blue in honour of OPP Cst. Greg Pierzchala. January 2023. Photo submitted by Paulette Poirier."THANK YOU" sign at Andy Brandt Marina lit up blue in honour of OPP Cst. Greg Pierzchala. January 2023. Photo submitted by Paulette Poirier.
Sarnia

Sarnia marina honours fallen officer

The 'Thank You' sign at Sarnia's Andrew S. Brandt Marina is lit up in blue, in memory of OPP Cst. Greg Pierzchala.

Owner/Operator Dave Brown said they wanted to highlight the traditional OPP colour of blue, in honour of the young officer who lost his life in the life of duty.

Cst. Pierzchala was shot while responding to a call about a vehicle in the ditch near Hagersville on December 27.

"So basically we do not take professionals -- fire, EMS and in this case, police -- for granted," said Brown. "We initiated the construction of this huge 'Thank You' sign when we had the pandemic tsunami, in honour of all of the essential caretakers. So we will continue our mission in highlighting this 'Thank You' sign whenever and wherever we can."

In September, British flags were added to the 'Thank You' sign following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Brown said the sign will stay lit up blue for a while.

A funeral for the 28-year-old rookie officer was held Wednesday in Barrie.

(Funeral for OPP Cst. Greg Pierzchala on Wednesday Jan 4, 2023. Photo submitted by Sarnia Police Service.)

A group of Sarnia Police Service officers were in attendance at Sadlon Arena.

With files from Colin Gowdy

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