Don Eustice honored in memorial ceremony

At noon on Friday, Sept. 4, the Waseca County Sheriff’s office sponsored an “End of Watch” memorial for Don Eustice, a Waseca County Sheriff who was shot and killed in the line of duty on Sept 4, 1976–50 years ago.

 

About 50 people attended, including 5 of Eustice’s offspring and quite a few of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Family members were provided with yellow roses to lay alongside a memorial located along the south wall of the county law enforcement building.

 

Amid comments shared during the ceremony, Chief Deputy Doug Gerdts told the crowd that, even though it has been so long since Eustice’s death, people still spontaneously stop by the memorial, sometimes leaving flowers or small mementos, or often making the sign of the cross.

 

In a biography included in his comments, current county sheriff Jay Dulas summarized that Eustice was orphaned during childhood and separated from his siblings. To support himself, Dulas said, he performed “back-breaking work” for an area farmer in exchange for room and board.

 

Though such a difficult coming of age might easily have led him to be bitter and self-centered, Dulas stated “Something from within led him down a different path. One filled with empathy and compassion.” Eustice went on to be “a leader within a group of leaders,” and “a problem solver who offered his help generously to those who needed it.”

 

Dulas stated the foundation of compassion and reliability Eustice built is part of the reason law enforcement personnel in Waseca County today are still regarded with respect and trust.

 

A stirring part of the ceremony was the “last call,” a statement reminding the group that Eustice’s “end of watch” occurred on Sept. 4, 1976. Officers from local law enforcement agencies and personnel from local emergency medical services stood at attention shoulder to shoulder and saluted as Taps were played.

 

Published below is the full text of a speech delivered by Don’s son, Todd, now 69, in remembrance of his father.

 

I would like to start off by thanking Sheriff Jay Dulas and Chief Deputy Doug Gerdts for organizing this memorial program honoring my dad on the anniversary of his death 50 years ago.

 

My name is Todd Eustice, and I’ve been asked to say a few words about my dad. September 4, 1976 was not just a terrible day for our family and community, but was the beginning of a very difficult time for our family as we had to learn to cope without our dad, our rock. The loss was crushing to us.

 

Don Eustice was killed at the age of 47 in the line of duty. He left behind my mom, who was 45 at the time, and nine children. Doug was then age 26; Gary, 25; Becky, 24; Scott, 23;  Brad, 22;  myself, 19; Peggy, 17; Barry,12; and Barb, 10.

 

I want to tell you a little bit about Sheriff Don Eustice and all the different hats he wore.

 

Don Eustice started in the sheriff’s office about 1953 after working for the Waseca police department for one year. He was elected and took office in 1967. As a dedicated sheriff in a small office, the job was definitely not 8 to 5; he was on duty 24/7. Even when he was absent from the office he was still on call. He would receive phone calls at home or have people stop by the house asking for help or advice. It was a common occurrence for him to get phone calls in the middle of the night. Those calls could be about a car accident, a domestic assault, or some other emergency.

 

He would always respond, regardless of the late hour, and then still be back at the sheriff’s office at 8 a.m. the next morning, no matter how little sleep he had.

 

As the sheriff of Waseca County, our dad was very invested in the community, especially the youth of our area. For example, he managed a dance night for high-schoolers called “Teen Canteen.” My dad would book local bands to come play–and once in a while he managed to get nationally known bands to come play as well. I remember the band The Box Tops having dinner at our house before they played for the Teen Canteen, after my dad had booked them for Waseca. 

 

The Don Eustice Scholarship Committee has organized tomorrow’s event in the same fashion as the Teen Canteen as a tribute to him.

 

Don Eustice started the Bluejay Booster Club for all of Waseca’s sports. Dad organized the holiday wrestling tournament which was held during Christmas break; it continued for many years after his death. It came to be called the Don Eustice Invitational. 

 

He also ran the Knothole Day with help from the park and recreation department. Kids could sign up to go to a Twins’ game. For $2, any kid could ride a bus to the stadium, get into the game, and have a pop to boot.

 

To help law enforcement and civic work, my dad started the Waseca County Sheriff’s Posse, the Snowmobile Posse, and–with help from Hubert Humphrey–he was able to provide radios for law enforcement officers. Early in his career, he was part of the volunteer fire department as well.

 

Dad always believed in helping troubled youth to turn their lives around. He and another sheriff, Pat Smith of LeSueur County, started the LeSueur-Waseca Group home. Dad and a number of other sheriffs were also instrumental in the development of the Sheriffs’ Boys Ranch in both Austin and Isanti. These facilities were for kids who had behavior problems in their homes and communities; the boys’ ranches were to help provide guidance and direction. In fact, four of us six boys worked at those ranches.

 

When you talk about Dad as sheriff, my mom has to also be included. She was employed by the Sheriff's Office as a secretary and female deputy. She cooked meals for the prisoners, served as a matron, was the office manager, a jailer and a dispatcher. Dad and Mom were a team.

 

Dad also used his kids to help out at the sheriff’s office. All of the boys were deputized by the age of 16. We helped out when needed. For instance, after a car accident by providing help any way we could such as directing traffic or helping clean up.

 

We helped with dispatching in the office. We would also patrol the fairgrounds after hours when the fair was in town. I remember doing “blood runs.” These meant blood was to be delivered from one hospital to another and was usually an emergency situation. These are just a few examples of how we helped out.

 

Don Eustice was a big influence on his own kids, as we all continued in public service at least for part of our careers. There were child care workers, probation officers, social workers, psychologists and teachers.

 

One way we have learned to cope with our dad’s death is by sharing stories of him most every time we are together. We also hear stories from people we have encountered over the years and those are passed on to other siblings as well. This leads me to one story I’d like to tell. It comes from my daughter Allison and her husband Justin. About 4 or 5 years ago, Justin and Allison went to visit Justin’s grandpa who lives in the Sandstone area about 160 miles from Waseca.

 

Justin’s Grandpa asked Allison what her maiden name was. Allison told him. He responded “Your maiden name was Eustice?

 

“Don’t tell me you’re related to Don Eustice from Waseca?”

 

Allison replied that Don was her grandfather.

 

Justin’s Grandpa paused, then commented, “Well, I’ll be damned. That SOB picked me up way too often and put me in the back of his cop car.”

 

Wide-eyed, Allison asked why he was picked up.

 

“For DWIs, mostly.” Then he continued, “Even though I didn’t like him at the times I was being arrested, I now know he was a good man, hoping I would learn a lesson one of those times.

 

“I think I did.”

 

My dad could be tough with people, but he was most interested in changing behavior just like he did with Justin’s Grandpa.

 

My siblings and I have enjoyed hearing many stories involving our dad over the past 50 years. Hopefully there will be more to hear in the future.