Standing with G racie
Lakewood Local 71 members make a memorable surprise appearance to support
the daughter of fallen officer William “Nichie” Preslar on her graduation day
n BY AMBER RAMUNDO
There’s something about being the only one on the sideline.
It’s hard for Lisa Preslar to explain, but, whether cheering her
girls on at a sporting event or celebrating another birthday, she
can’t help feeling that certain someone missing from the pic-
ture.
“It’s so hard to have all of these milestones,” Preslar began.
“These are supposed to be happy events, but I always feel there’s
a little bit of sadness hanging around.”
Ten years have passed since Gracie and Julia Preslar lost
their father, Lakewood Officer and Local 71 member William,
in a fatal car crash. Every time her daughters scan the crowd
at an event to find their mother cheering, clapping, snapping
pictures and giving thumbs-up without their father by her side,
Lisa feels it and wishes Nichie, as he was known, could be there
to complete the picture.
“On the side of the soccer field, on the side of the volleyball
court, it’s just me,” stressed Lisa, who is also the president of
Garden State Concerns of Police Survivors. “I just always feel so
bad that my kids are gypped out of having him in their life.”
When Gracie Preslar stood in a sea of silver caps and gowns
on June 20 at the start of her eighth-grade graduation from
Toms River Intermediate South Regional School, it was just an-
other rite of passage that she wanted to get over with.
But a group of Local 71 members wanted to make Gracie’s
graduation something to remember. So they put together a plan
to surprise her with a support crew that by far outnumbered the
amount of tickets allotted to each family.
“Once it was brought up between the guys that Gracie’s
eighth-grade graduation was coming up, we thought, ‘What a
perfect opportunity to really try to put something forward again
for the family,’” shared Sergeant Tommy D’Elia, a Lakewood of-
Lakewood Local 71 members muster in the Toms River Intermediate South
School gymnasium to surprise Gracie Preslar at her eighth-grade gradua-
tion.
ficer who grew up with Lisa and Nichie.
D’Elia brought the idea to Lakewood Chief Gregory Meyer
and former State Delegate Sergeant Steve Kelusak. No one hesi-
tated at the chance to do something special for Gracie in honor
of her father and their fallen brother.
An email circulated to get more members on board, while
Kelusak contacted Adam O’Connor from Beachwood Local 253,
who is the school resource officer at Toms River Intermediate
South, to help put together the plans for their appearance at the
graduation. The school welcomed Local 71 to the ceremony, as
10 officers responded that they wanted to be involved in Gra-
cie’s surprise.
“We’re not the biggest department and we’re not a small de-
partment...but we’re a close department,” shared Kelusak, who
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