When Corey Thompsen was in high school at St. Joseph-Ogden, he and his fellow cross-country runners would race across the old wooden trestle bridge in St. Joseph.
“While looking back now,” said Braydon Crozier, a close friend and former teammate, “I laugh at how dumb we were doing this.”
Crozier said the task was scary because the trestle was rotting and had multiple holes and gaps.
But Thompsen showed his trademark tenacity.
“Corey had a smile from ear to ear and laughed with every step across that trestle,” Crozier said.
Crozier said it was how Thompsen approached everything, including his career with the Illinois State Police.
“The thing I will remember the most about Corey was his commitment and bravery,” Crozier said. “He was committed to everything he cared about. His bravery to become a state trooper and serve his community is just another example of the man he was.”
Thompsen died Friday after being involved in a two-vehicle traffic accident while on duty. The incident happened on East Leverett Road at County Road 1300 East, about 2 miles east of Interstate 57, authorities said. State Police Director Brendan Kelley said Thompsen, was riding his ISP-issued Harley-Davidson motorcycle when the crash happened. The preliminary investigation revealed that a truck driven by 32-year-old Helen Torres of Thomasboro, traveling southbound on County Road 1300 East, stopped at the intersection with Leverett Road, Kelly said.
“Torress then pulled into the roadway, striking Trooper Thompsen’s motorcycle,” according to state police.
Thompsen, 28, is survived by his wife Chelsea, his mother Susan, his father Steve and his brothers Mitchell and Ryan.
Former SJO guidance counselor Terri Rein said Thomspen and his wife were a match made in heaven.
Chelsea was a star runner at SJO who went to compete at the University of Tennessee and run professionally.
They couple got married in June.
“Corey had a quiet confidence and a smile that would light up a room,” Rein said. “He was a kind soul and a fantastic human being.”
Former St. Joseph-Ogden Superintendent and cross-country coach Jim Acklin coached Thompsen twice. First, at SJO and then at Danville Area Community College.
“He was a good athlete, but was never one to be boastful or draw attention to himself,” Acklin said. “Corey was always humble and low key.”
Acklin said he thought Thompsen’s even-keeled and unflappable attitude served him well as a state police officer.
“It was hard to get a rise out of Corey,” Acklin said. “Corey was a good, solid young man that was tragically taken from us way too soon.”
Corey Plotner agreed.
Plotner coached Thompsen and was a close friend.
“Corey was one of the most humble people you would ever meet,” Plotner said. “He loved his family, his cars and his friends with everything that he had. If the world was filled with more people like Corey, it would be a much better place to live in.”
Crozier said Thompsen was always the nicest person in any room.
“There wasn’t a person that Corey didn’t get along with,” he said.
His positive attitude made him a teammate that younger runners looked up while at SJO. He was also a positive influence on the teammates that were his own age, Crozier said.
During the Spartans’ trip to the IHSA state meet in 2013, Crozier looked over at Thompsen after the team had done their pre-race chant and was doing a warm-up sprint.
“Corey and I made eye contact and I could see tears in his eyes,” Crozier said. “He had worked so hard to get to this meet and it meant a lot to him.”
SJO cross-country coach Jason Retz said Thompsen’s dedication helped make him a successful athlete in high school and college.
“He had the perfect amount of composure and fire to be a successful distance runner, and an even better person,” Retz said.
Thompsen routinely volunteered to help the running program at SJO after graduation. He would help Retz with whatever needed to be done at meets, but it was their time visiting together that Retz said he values the most.
“Just a couple years ago after the Spartan Classic, he, Chelsea, Braydon Crozier,and I sat at El Toro until early in the morning just laughing, telling stories and enjoying being together,” Retz said. “That smile, I’ll miss it. His subtle jokes, I’ll miss those. I’ll miss Corey Thompsen, but remember how lucky I was to have crossed paths with him in his lifetime.”
Thompsen’s love of running developed in middle school.
His commitment to the sport became evident after he joined the track and field team, said his former middle school coach Zach Steele.
“He was small as a young runner, but competitive and had a strong work ethic,” Steele said. “I remember seeing him later on in high school training on the roads with his teammates during cross-country and track season. Whether it would be hot or cold, sunny or in rain or snow. He had become a big part of the high school’s success.”
When Thompsen decided to become a state trooper, his commitment to excellence was evident once again. He served for five years before his death.
Crozier said Thompsen would often call and wake him up after his shift ended at midnight, telling his friend to come outside and chat.
“He took pride in his friendships, family and professional career.” Cozier said. “He was proud to serve the community, and because he was serving the community, we, as a family, felt safe.”
Steele, now an assistant principal at Oakwood High School, said other state troopers talked positively about Thompsen. Steele was recently speaking to a Oakwood School Board member who was also a state police officer. The officer had recently attended a conference where he met Steele’s former runner.
“When Corey learned that the other officer was from Oakwood, he asked if he knew me,” Steele said. “He went on to state that he was in my first class and ran for me. I was touched that Corey had kept track of where I was. The board member mentioned that he seemed like a great kid and was sure he was a great officer.”
SJO Superintendent Brian Brooks recently had a chance to reconnect with Thompsen when his wife, Chelsea, was inducted into the SJO Hall of Fame earlier this month.
“Corey was a great kid while in high school, grew up to be a great young man and came from a tremendous family,” Brooks said. “Corey was one of those kids who was just very easy to root for in anything he did. You knew he would be successful after high school no matter what he decided to do.”
Brooks said Chelsea, who previously helped coach the runners at SJO, would update him on Thompsen’s job, but he hadn’t seen him face to face until the induction ceremony during the Oct. 11 SJO football game.
“He was the same Corey I remembered as a student here at SJO,” Brooks said. “Very cordial and polite, easy to talk to. That’s just who Corey was, and how he was raised. My heart aches for his entire family. Life just isn’t fair sometimes, and in times like this, it is very hard to understand. We lost a great young man.”
Tiffany McElroy-Smetzer, whose son ran with Thompsen at Western Illinois University, said the community is mourning a huge loss.
Thompsen’s mother teaches at St. Joseph Middle School and his grandmother, Barb, taught fifth-grade for years.
“Barb taught our kids,” McElroy-Smetzer said. “Susan taught our kids. We watched Chelsea grow up. We watched Corey grow up. They are all a part of our lives. They are a part of our town’s tapestry.”
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Sunday at Faith United Methodist Church, 1719 S. Prospect Ave., Champaign. Visitation will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the St. Joseph-Ogden High School gym, St. Joseph. A first-responders walk through will be at 5 p.m.
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