Mural dedicated to Chicago Police Officer Michael Flisk, first responders
BY MITCH DUDEK Staff Reporter November 25, 2012 5:36PM
Chicago Police Officer Michael Flisk's children, Michael (left). Peg, Timothy and Brian, and his wife, Nora, attend the dedication of the mural Sunday at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel. | John H. White~Sun-Times
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Updated: December 27, 2012 6:24AM
Two years after Chicago Police Officer Michael Flisk was fatally shot while dusting for fingerprints at a South Side crime scene, a mural honoring him was dedicated Sunday at the Catholic Church he attended.
“He would have been embarrassed by all this attention,” said Flisk’s daughter, Peg Flisk, 22, a senior at DePaul University.
“He was a humble guy,” said Peg, who sat with her family in front of dozens of uniformed police officers at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, 7740 S. Western.
The colorful mural, which honors all first responders, is part of a new shrine to St. Michael and St. Florian steps from St. Rita’s alter and minutes from the Beverly home where Flisk raised his four kids.
Flisk’s police star — No. 6962 — is depicted on the mural alongside firefighters, fellow officers and paramedics.
“It’s been an uplifting experience,” said Flisk’s wife, Nora, who keeps a button showing her husband in uniform pinned to her purse. “This will be here forever, and we can come here to pray,” she said.
Flisk, 46, a 20-year police veteran, and former Chicago Housing Authority Police Officer Stephen Peters were killed on Nov. 26, 2010, as Flisk dusted for fingerprints at the scene of a burglary to Peters’ car. Timothy Herring Jr. has been charged with the murders. The case is ongoing.
Flisk, a Chicago Police evidence technician, was known for his impeccably timed one-liners, passion for motorcycles and his habit of waking his wife before leaving for work to say, “I love you.”
But he may be best remembered for showering affection on his children, who received dozens of hugs Sunday from their father’s former colleagues.
Flisk’s son Tim, 23, is a stationary engineer, and Brian, 19, is a student at St. Ambrose University in Iowa. Peg plans to go to law school. Eldest son Michael, 26, is an Amtrak police officer with a wife and 2-month-old baby, Ella.
“I cannot wait for the day when you can bring Ella back here . . . to say this is grandpa, our hero,” the Rev. Tom McCarthy said during mass Sunday.
