Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Death of officer is a reminder of what ‘to protect, serve’ means



Twenty years ago, at the end of December, Deputy Roger
Wrobbel, 42, responded to the last call of his life.

Wrobbel, who served the Wright County Sheriff’s office
for 11 years, was called out to an ice rescue for a car that was suspected
of going through the ice on Lake Pulaski.

The call came at 7:10 p.m., at the same time when Wrobbel’s
family gave him an early birthday celebration.

Wrobbel arrived at the lake with Deputy Ken Antil. Both
men are from Howard Lake and worked together frequently on search and rescue
operations.

The men quickly discerned that the vehicle, a Pinto wagon,
had sunk through the ice. The owner made it out of the Pinto safely with
her passenger earlier in the day, according to local ice fishermen. She
failed to notify the sheriff’s office about her predicament.

The two men started to mark off the open water area. Sergeant
Don Hozempa also arrived to assist.

Antil said that Wrobbel seemed fine until they got out
on the ice. “He was having trouble walking then everybody was,”
Antil said. “The lake was really slippery that night.”

“I asked Roger if he was all right and he said he
was,”Antil said.

The next thing Antil knew, Wrobbel was on the ice, unconscious.

All efforts to revive him were futile and although an ambulance
arrived four minutes later, he never regained consciousness.

Wrobbel died of a massive heart attack.

At the time, Wrobbel left behind his wife, Janice and two
sons Tim and Dean. Tim was a senior in high school and Dean was an eighth
grader.

“It doesn’t seem like 20 years,” said Sheriff
Gary Miller about Wrobbel’s death.

Wrobbel is memorialized at the Minnesota and National Law
Enforcement memorial sites. The Minnesota memorial is located in front of
the capitol in St. Paul.

Both of Wrobbel’s sons went on to serve the public as firefighters.

Tim served as a metro area firefighter. Tim’s wife, Teresa,
is an MD at the Buffalo clinic. They reside in Buffalo.

Dean inherited his father’s love of firefighting (Wrobbel
was a dedicated Howard Lake volunteer firefighter) and serves as a fireman
with the St. Cloud fire department.

Dean’s wife, Jill, is a teacher in the Annandale school
district. They reside in Annandale.

Wrobbel’s widow, Janice, remarried three years ago after
raising her sons and spending 16 years as a widow.

She lives in Winsted with her husband, Jim Brooks.

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