Hamilton Police Dept. observes week of mourning in memory of longtime sergeant
Nov. 21—HAMILTON — A longtime Hamilton police officer, who retired as a sergeant in 1994, is being remembered as a "people person" who loved to play cards.
Paul "Steve" Timmer worked for the police department from 1967 until he retired. He died on Nov. 15 at his Hamilton residence. He was 78.
His son, Greg Timmer, a Hamilton firefighter for 32 years, said his father was a "people person" who loved to strike up a conversation and tell a story or two.
In response to Timmer's death, the Hamilton Police Department started a seven-day mourning period on Monday, according to Police Chief Craig Bucheit. During the period, all badges of police personnel will be draped with a black mourning ribbon, he said.
Timmer was promoted to detective in 1976, served as a board member of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 38, and later served as its treasurer for a number of years. Scott Scrimizzi, executive director of the city's public safety department, said after FOP meetings, Timmer and others typically played cards.
"He was a really friendly guy," Scrimizzi said. "People enjoyed working for Steve."
One Hamilton woman posted on Timmer's memorial page that he was the last living member of a poker group that played cards every Tuesday night for 45 years.
A waitress at LaRosa's, Raegan Newman, wrote that Timmer "was a kind hearted man who knew how to make us laugh."
Greg Timmer said he and his brother, Paul, were allowed to make their own decisions growing up, but if they got in trouble, they had to "own up" to their mistakes.
When your father is a police officer, he said, you can't hide from your mistakes.
"He knew when we got in trouble," Greg Timmer said. "But he didn't tell mom."
Steve Timmer graduated from Hamilton Taft High School in 1963. He was a member of St. Peter in Chains Church.
He is survived by his son, Greg (Kristin) Timmer; his grandchildren Brandon, Victoria, and Kaiden; great-grandson Andrew; sister Susan (late Robert) Tinsley; brother Bill (Fanny) Timmer; wife, Emily Hurst, whom he married on Aug. 21, 2023; also many other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Linda, who died in 1997, son Chief Warrant Officer Paul Stephen Timmer Jr., and his parents.
Timmer Jr., 26, was one of five U.S. Army servicemen killed in a helicopter crash in El Salvador in 1991. Their Huey UH-1H helicopter crashed in Lake Ilopango, 14 miles east of San Salvador, shortly after taking off from a Salvadoran air force base, according to reports.
Private burial and graveside services will be at the convenience of the family at St. Stephen Cemetery. Charles C. Young Funeral Home, 4032 Hamilton Cleves Road, Ross, is assisting the family.
