Tampa District 1 Police Memorial Garden for Officer Marrero Features Handmade Tile
Posted by TOA's Blog Team on Oct 27th 2016
On October 11th 2016, a very special dedication took place in Tampa's Police District 1: a memorial garden in honor of Officer Lois M. Marrero, where handmade tile plays a role.
>> See Garden Will Honor Fallen Tampa Police Officer
>> See Tampa Police dedicate garden to fallen officer
We caught up with Officer Felicia Pecora who serves on the Tampa Police Department Memorial Committee to learn more about Officer Marrero, the memorial garden dedicated to her and the tile chosen. Felicia Pecora is a Sergeant with the Tampa Police Department and has been a police officer for 16 years.
Bringing the Officer Marrero Memorial Garden to Life and the Relevance of Handmade Tile
TOA: What impressed you most at the time of Officer Marrero's death?
FP: I was a rookie officer in my first year when Officer Lois Marrero was shot and killed by an armed bank robber on July 6, 2001.
I remember going to Lois’s funeral. It was the first police funeral I had ever seen. The most remarkable thing about it was that there were people that Lois Marrero herself had arrested lined up on both sides of the street as the funeral procession went by. They had their heads down, hats off, and were showing her their respect. I didn’t know at the time how much impact a single person could have in this job.
Conceptual designs for the Officer Lois Marrero Memorial Garden in Tampa.
TOA: Felicia, Officer Marrero sounds truly remarkable. Could you tell us more?
FP: Lois was a dynamic police officer who helped everyone she could, as often as she was able.
Among other officers, she was known above all things for her integrity. She really did the right things for the right reasons, no matter the consequences.
That strength of character is what led her to go in that parking lot on that terrible day to face a man armed with a rifle. She knew he was armed, but there were so many people in the parking lot and around the apartment complex. She knew they were in danger, so her choice was easy: do the right thing. Go find the bad guy and save those people from harm.
The Spanish-style three-tier planter centerpiece and signature item of the Officer Marrero Memorial Garden in Tampa.
You see, Officer Marrero is much greater than the minute it took to end her life. She was the ideal of a strong woman. Although she was only 5’1", she went to college on a basketball scholarship! She became a police officer in the early 1980s when women were just supposed to fill a quota and not really be cops. She didn’t follow the script. She became a department leader and supervised other officers. She mentored, corrected, guided, and stood up for them when they weren’t treated right.
That’s exactly how she was about the citizens she served. She was a force for good and could be counted on for fairness and decency in her interactions with all people.
The handmade tile selected to bring to life the Officer Marrero Memorial.
TOA: How did the idea for the Memorial Garden come about?
FP: The idea to create a memorial space for Officer Marrero started in 2014 when a retiring officer regretted that we (our agency) had no memorial space for District 1.
District 1 comprises the western and southern parts of Tampa. It is immersed in robust cultural history especially in West Tampa. It has taken 2 years and incredible generosity from local businesses to help us see this dream through and make it a reality.
Hector Morejon from Five Star Flooring of Tampa Bay personally installed the handmade tile for the Memorial Garden
>> Learn more about Hector Morejon From Five Star Flooring.
We knew when designing this memorial garden that we wanted a centerpiece to be a reflection of Lois, but also of this great district. We came up with the idea to build a two-tiered planter that looked like a Spanish-style fountain. It would give the garden and Spanish courtyard feel and be in keeping with Lois’s Spanish heritage.
We chose to use genuine ceramic handmade tile in blues and yellows to look authentic. We used a light blue tile as a field and a bright royal blue to represent the blue line of law enforcement. There is a beautiful design on the top row of tiles that includes the colors in a cross.
TIle Outlets of America's Rickey Williams proudly holds his plaque for his involvement with handmade tile for the Officer Marrero Memorial Garden.
>> Meet Rickey Williams, Assistant Manager, Tile Outlets in Tampa
These beautiful tiles along with several other tiles will be broken and used in an artful mosaic for a planter that art students from Tampa Preparatory Academy have created. This planter is the centerpiece of the garden and the signature item in the space.
TOA: Where is the Memorial Garden located?
FP: The new memorial garden is located at our District 1 substation. It will be a place of remembrance, but it will also serve as a place for fellowship among our officers and staff, a place to celebrate the milestones we make in a career, and a quiet place to remember our fallen heroes fondly.
From left to right: Hector Marejon, Officer Felicia Pecora, Rickey Williams and Kate Spencer from Tile Outlets of America, Tampa.
The Tampa Police Public Information Office is putting together a consolidation of pictures showing the transformation of the space and will post them on Facebook including images from the dedication (see Tampa Police Department photo album on Facebook).
Lois Marrero Memorial Garden pictures on Facebook