By William Smith
Community Editor
Tom Walz had enough heart for two lives.
Everyone knows how he lived the last decade of his life. A peerless volunteer associated with practically every event and charity organization in town, Walz didn’t earn the informal title of “Mr. Burlington” by accident.
He was the heart of the community for more than four decades.
Walz, 73, died Wednesday, Dec. 1. Upon hearing the news, Burlington Mayor Jon Billups immediately ordered all city flags to be flown at half-staff. Walz was a retired Burlington Police officer with 31 years of service and had just retired from serving as a courier for the city a few months ago.
“When you needed a volunteer, he was the first to show up and last to leave. He lived the ideal of giving you the shirt off his back if you needed it,” Billups said.
The Volunteer
Walz was a constant presence in Burlington, upholding a legacy passed down from his father.
Walz spoke of his father publicly, often at volunteer award ceremonies. He took home the Burlington Emmy in 2012, noting that his dad was plant manager at Champion for 30 years and was very involved in the community.
Walz’s volunteerism began at the age of 9 at the YMCA.
Walz volunteered at Burlington Steamboat Days early on and became a member of the board of directors in 1988. He started shooting the fireworks for Steamboat Days in 1964 and handled fireworks duty for several Burlington events.
Walz was involved with SnowBull since its inception. His volunteer work extended to high school fundraisers, the Snake Alley Criterium, Lions pancake breakfast, annual chili cookoffs, Heritage Days, and Toys for Tots.
Walz inspired those around him to be better, never casting an eye of judgment from the top of his tall frame. Michael Mehler of Burlington worked side-by-side with Walz at countless community events, from Steamboat Days to SnowBull.
“He was like a father to me. He was there for me when I needed someone to be there for me. My real dad was very violent; Tom was the opposite. He was a very caring person,” Mehler said
This past weekend, during the Toys for Tots Semi of Love toy drive, Mehler would have been volunteering alongside Walz.
Instead, Mehler dedicated the event to him. Toy donations for the charity were collected at Walz’s visitation Tuesday and again at his funeral on Wednesday.
Walz also wore many hats at Community Field on behalf of the Burlington Bees, such as selling tickets, putting up signs, selling beer, painting, and wrapping hot dogs.
“I just love people. I love Burlington, Iowa,” he was known to say.
The Police Officer
Walz’s life as a Burlington police officer, which started in March of 1980, wasn’t that different from his life as a volunteer.
Instead of being known as “the nicest man in Burlington,” Walz was then known as “the nicest cop in Burlington.”
Every morning after he started his shift, Walz got into his squad SUV and drove around to area schools to ensure children got safely into their buildings.
He often parked his police vehicle in visible spots to remind motorists to slow down and watch for students.
Everyone from school administrators to children waved at the veteran police officer. He even got nods from drivers.
He continued that routine right up until the day he retired.
Forgiving the Man Who Shot Him
For most of his police career, Walz had a piece of a bullet that nearly ended his life buried in his head.
On April 26, 1991, Walz responded to a silent alarm at Jack’s Discount Store (now the former Shopko building). The suspect, Fonso Wires, was hiding in a nearby depression across Roosevelt Avenue. Walz drove his patrol car off-road, pursuing the suspect; Wires popped up and shot at the police cruiser.
According to police, the bullet shattered as it went through the cruiser’s windshield. A piece of it went through Walz’s hat and entered his forehead before exiting above his right eye.
The hospital released Walz later the same day, but a piece of the bullet and the scar stayed with him for the rest of his life.
Walz later said he forgave his assailant the day of the shooting.
Walz and Wires met and talked one-on-one during the trial. Wires learned about Walz while sitting in the Des Moines County jail and felt remorse for what he did.
Bob Thompson, who worked as a Des Moines County deputy, worked with Walz the night of the incident. Like all who knew him, Thompson didn’t know many who were as fine a man or police officer as Walz.
“One night, I transported Fonso Wires to jail after he shot Tommy in the head. Another prisoner looked at Fonso and said, ‘You shot the nicest man in Burlington!’ ” Thompson said.
A Beat Cop Becomes A Community Cop
Before joining the police department in 1980, Walz was a reserve police officer from 1977 to 1979.
Walz wanted to remain on the streets — a beat cop, someone people see day in and day out. He wasn’t interested in climbing the promotion ladder to sit at a desk. He had an intense interest in the fire department and often stayed at fire scenes later than the actual firefighters.
“He would be out there after everyone left, cleaning and sweeping up,” Thompson said.
After his death, the Burlington Fire Department put out a tribute calling Walz “a firefighter in a police officer’s uniform.”
Walz didn’t volunteer for the local fame or respect, no matter how much he earned. He did it for the people he helped — and for himself.
He spoke about how certain things in law enforcement could bring him down emotionally, and his volunteer work acted as a counterweight to that.
Some claim that Walz never slept while he was working Steamboat Days. He kept a cot inside Memorial Auditorium so he could take cat naps instead.
“He had this lumbering gait to him, and he always had that smirk on his face,” Thompson said. “He would never let me buy my own beer. If you needed help, he was there to help you.”
Retired journalist and columnist Mike Sweet was one of Walz’s best friends; he wrote of their friendship back in 1991.
“Tom was a big brother to everybody. He was comfortable with both men and women and had lots of friends. When someone had a problem, he was always first to offer a shoulder to lean on.
Tom is one of those people every town has, the one who donates a disproportionate amount of time to good causes.
Over the years, he always answered when charity called. He volunteered not for honor, but because he is a compassionate man, and because he loves people.
That was why he wanted above all to be a cop, I think.”
A Candlelight Vigil
Walz’s family gathered in front of Memorial Auditorium Sunday night, leading a candlelight vigil for the retired police officer and community man.
A crowd of more than 50 gathered with them.
Al Ourth, another long-time Burlington volunteer, said he had talked to Walz just a few days before his death. Ourth knew Walz for more than 50 years, volunteering with him during the indoor SnowBull rodeo.
Ourth wore a cowboy hat and SnowBull jacket in memory of Walz’s volunteer service.
“We had just talked, and he said he was fine,” Ourth said with a quavering voice.
The crowd, still raw from Walz’s passing, shared their memories. They laughed about the time Walz shot the Mattress Man — a mechanical advertising gimmick that resembled a person.
It was the only “person” Walz ever shot, and he often joked about the fate of the Mattress Man with his fellow officers.
“I asked him what they (the police department) did to him after he shot the Mattress Man. And he said, ‘I haven’t told anyone yet.’ This was 30 years later,” Thompson said with a laugh.
Police Department Remembers Walz
In a news release, the Burlington Police Department declared that Walz “exemplified the epitome of what the Burlington Police Department aspires to offer its citizens.”
“Tom’s selfless dedication to the people that he served, was on display every day of his career. This dedication did not end after his service in uniform. Tom continued to brighten everyone’s day by providing service to the city as its daily mail courier.”
“Away from the City, Tom was the pillar of dedication to volunteerism,” the message says. “His civic involvements were unrivaled and have set an example of what truly giving back to one’s community should look like.”
“There are no words to adequately express what Tom Walz meant to this Department and to this community,” the statement said.
“This is a loss that will be felt indefinitely. We offer our condolences to all who knew and loved Tom.”