Still giving back
Fair Lawn Local 67 event funds
scholarship in memory of officer
Mary Ann Collura
■ BY JENNIFER TRATTLER
More than a dozen retired Fair Lawn Local 67 members tended bar at
the Fair Lawn Athletic Center on April 16 working for gratuities from
hundreds of thirsty patrons to fill a very special tip jar – one labeled “Mary
Ann Collura Scholarship Fund.” The event, featuring music during the
day and trivia games at night with a special appearance from the
renowned Bergen County Pipes and Drums, was an annual testament
to the memory of the Fair Lawn Local 67 member who was shot in the
line of duty after coming to the aid of a fellow officer attempting an arrest
of a convicted felon on April 17, 2003.
“Even to this today, 13 years later, you think about things and it’s hard
to talk about,” expressed an emotional retired Fair Lawn detective and
Local 67 Past-President David DeLucca, who was the second officer to
arrive on scene during that fateful day. “Special people don’t come
around all the time. She was a cop’s cop, a big sister and someone you
could confide in, all wrapped up into one.”
A star softball player throughout high school, Officer Collura committed time and energy to local athletic programs and was the first to lend a
The Fair Lawn Municipal Building is home to the Fair Lawn Police Memorial, a statue
of Local 67 member Mary Ann Collura handing children glow sticks on Halloween
night in honor of a safety program she initiated. The memorial was dedicated a
decade after Collura died in the line of duty on April 17, 2003.
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APRIL 2016
helping hand to any Local 67 event involving children, including DeLucca’s Make-A-Wish Basketball Tournament.
“She couldn’t play anymore, but she staged the event with me, took it
down and did everything in between,” reflected DeLucca. “She was
always right with me, not wanting any recognition.”
Each year, Local 67 officers and the entire Fair Lawn community
honor their big sister’s memory the best way they know how – by raising
money for the Mary Ann Collura Scholarship Fund for local high school
students created shortly after she passed.
“All she did was give; it was never about her,” recognized DeLucca. “As
long as I have anything left to give, I’ll make sure we do something for
her.”
Throughout her 18-year career, Collura served as the Local 67 State
Delegate, was a certified New Jersey Police Training Commission instructor and a member of the Bergen County Rapid Deployment Force for five
years. She was awarded a departmental Meritorious Service Award and
the Hackensack University Medical Center EMS Excellence Award for
saving a life with a defibrillator.
“She touched the hearts of a lot of people,” recognized Fair Lawn Local
67 State Delegate Edward Egan. “Everyone in the town is so supportive
from the local residents to the emergency service members who step up
to honor her every year.”
The Fair Lawn resident was also the first female police officer in the
department and a shining light throughout the community, revered for
her commitment to the town’s youth.
A bronze sculpture depicting a uniformed Collura giving glow necklaces to a boy and a girl dressed in Halloween costumes stands at the Fair
Lawn Municipal Building. Collura launched a Halloween safety program
in 1999 that gave glow sticks to elementary school children to make them
more visible when trick-or-treating on Halloween. In the last decade, a
street, a rifle range and a post office – among other locations – have been
renamed in her memory.
Local 67 also held an Annual Remembrance on April 18 in front of the
bronze sculpture, which included a dedication of two church windows
in tribute to Collura’s memory.
“Unfortunately, this travesty took her away far too early and it’s important for us to remember what she did for all of us,” emphasized Egan.
The Scholarship Fund was established by her family, friends and Local
67 members and has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships. d