Louis A. Dirker II’s fellow police officers always knew he would be a police chief some day.
It was obvious in the way he acted, the way he carried himself, the way he inspired others.
“If you had to draw a poster of a cop, that was Lou Dirker,” said Cuyahoga Falls Police Chief Jack Davis, who was a police lieutenant under Mr. Dirker until the former chief retired from the Falls force in 2001.
Mr. Dirker died of cancer on Saturday. He was 67 years old.
Mr. Dirker was equally well known to neighboring Stow, where he served as police chief from 2003 to 2014.
“He had such a tough guy exterior, but he was such a kind, genuinely warm, caring person,” Stow Mayor Sara Drew said.
“It sounds trite, but he was such a humanitarian. He believed in people. He worked for people. And I believe he really believed law enforcement was his calling and a way to make the world right,” she said.
“It’s such a very emotional time for all of us,” Drew said of Mr. Dirker’s passing.
Mr. Dirker was born in Akron and attended St. Bernard School, Hoban High School and the University of Akron, where he earned degrees in political science, criminal justice and a master’s in education.
He served in the Marines from 1970 to 1973 before beginning his police career with the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department in 1974.
That military background was obvious, Davis said.
Mr. Dirker “had a militaristic manner. He was always in shape and his uniform was always clean and crisp,” he said.
And beneath that impeccable surface was a leader.
He was “a guy who always looked out for his troop,” Davis said, the kind of guy subordinates “could go to with any issue.”
Mr. Dirker rose through the ranks in the Falls force and was chief when he retired in 2001, but he was far from settling down. He began a two-year stint in security administration for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
Then in 2003, he returned to his roots, becoming Stow’s police chief for the next 11 years.
When he stepped down in Stow, he still wasn’t done. He remained an instructor at the Kent State University police academy and was accepted into the U.S. Marshals Service for assignment to the Akron federal courthouse.
“I’m only 65. I’m not ready to quit working yet,” he told the Beacon Journal upon his Stow retirement. “But there were other people [in Stow] who wanted a shot at that job” and “you just know when it’s time to move on.”
Away from the office, Mr. Dirker was a devotee of physical fitness, committed to weightlifting and running every day. He also earned a first degree black belt from the International Kwanmukan.
According to his obituary, he also loved classical music, reading books and Cleveland sports teams.
A father of six, he was a “good family man,” Davis said. “He was a good example, a good role model.”
Three of his sons followed him into law enforcement. Kurt works for the FBI, Brett is a patrolman in Cuyahoga Falls, and Erik is with Stow police.
Mr. Dirker is also survived by three other children (Louis Dirker, Rose Marsh and Craig Dirker) and his wife of 46 years, Miriam Dirker.
Calling hours are 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 1905 Portage Trail in Cuyahoga Falls. Burial will be at 10 a.m. the following day, with Mass at the church and interment at Holy Cross Cemetery in Akron.
Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.