Chief Gakle remembered

Holton city officials, local law enforcement officers and others are mourning the death of a former Holton police chief who served the city for more than 40 years.

Gale “Butch” Gakle, who retired from the Holton Police Department this past March after four decades of service, died Friday, Oct. 29 at a Topeka hospital. Gakle had served as the city’s police chief at three different times during his employment with the police department, most recently from June of 2008 until this past March.

Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse called Gakle “a good friend and ally in law enforcement,” noting that the former police chief had “one of the longest law enforcement careers ever in Jackson County history.”

“Chief Gakle was always a very positive person and was always there when you needed him,” Sheriff Morse said. “We’re all very proud of his commitment and dedication to the citizens that he served.”

Members of the Holton City Commission dedicated their Monday night meeting to Gakle’s memory and expressed regret that Gakle’s passing came so soon after his retirement.

“It is a tremendous accomplishment for anybody to work four decades, especially in law enforcement,” Holton City Manager Kerwin McKee said at Monday’s meeting. “We’re really proud of him for his service.”

At the time of his retirement, Gakle said that Holton was the perfect place to have such a lengthy career in law enforcement.

“I probably wouldn’t have done this job in the big city, because here, you can get to know people,” Gakle told The Holton Recorder earlier this year prior to his retirement. “It’s more personal in a community this size. You get to know who you can trust, who you have to watch out for and who’s got your back.”

A native of Excelsior Springs, Mo., Gakle moved to Holton in 1979 to work in construction but joined the police department a year later, on Oct. 13, 1980, as a dispatcher at the recommendation of then-police chief Dan Gerety, a man who Gakle said “probably had the biggest impact on me.”

Gakle’s first stint as Holton’s chief of police began in 1987 after then-chief Virgil Askren stepped down. He held the position until 1994, when he asked to be reassigned within the department, then served as an interim chief in May of 2000 until David Lanning was hired a month later as chief.

Lanning stepped down in June of 2008, and Gakle was appointed to serve as interim police chief until he got the chief’s job again in September of that year. Gakle held the position until his retirement, which he attributed to a desire to “wind down.”

Gakle told The Recorder earlier this year that his favorite aspect of the job was living out the motto of police departments throughout the country, “To Serve And To Protect.”

“I’ve tried my best to fulfill that motto,” he said. “Helping people in a time of crisis has been one of the most rewarding parts of this job.”

Gakle also served with the Holton Fire Department during his time with the city and was also involved with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Day Camp and the G.R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance Education And Training) programs in the Holton and Jackson Heights school districts. He was also an active member of the Holton Rotary Club, volunteering to help with numerous community events.

Survivors include his wife of 20 years, Lori, and six children.