King, the secretary for the Garden State Survivors, recalled that she had called her husband before he left for work that day. Before he was killed, the couple, who have four children, had talked about his retirement. It made a huge difference to us. It was a wonderful feeling to speak with others who were going down the same path. There have been 366 officers killed in the line of duty in New Jersey since 1792, when record keeping began.
King estimates there are hundreds of living widows of officers killed in the line of duty.
The New Jersey State Police Survivors of the Triangle group, she said, send newsletters to at least 250. Grace Strone said she is still haunted by what-ifs. Please kiss the girls for me. He was killed less than a half-hour later. He always called me before I went to bed to make sure I was all right and the girls were all right.