Community members and state officials assembled Monday, Oct. 27 to dedicate part of state Route 23 to a state trooper who died in 2010 after her patrol vehicle collided with a tractor trailer in Morris.
The portion of the highway, between the intersection of county Route 49 and the intersection of Potato Farm and Decker roads in the town of Morris, was dedicated as the Trooper Jill E. Mattice Memorial Highway.
State Sen. Peter Oberacker, R-Schenevus, and Assembly member Joe Angelino played a big role in pushing through the legislation this year to dedicate the portion of the highway in Mattice’s honor, according to a news release from state police.
Oberacker said in his speech that Mattice’s life was a “testament to courage, compassion and unwavering service.” He called the highway dedication a “collaborative effort.”
“This was a labor of love, folks,” Oberacker said. “It serves as a reminder that we will never forget you, Jill. Your service to our community, its children and all of us will remain a bright light for years to come.”
He said Mattice’s legacy reminds people of what it means to lead life with compassion while remaining an inspiration to others.
Angelino said through his own career in law enforcement, he has seen repeatedly that “bad things can happen to good people.” He said the occasion marked a day of celebration.
“We’re not here to remember how Jill died,” Angelino said. “We are here to celebrate how she lived.”
Mattice lived a life of service, Angelino said, and although she only had six years on the job, she made an impact every day throughout that time. He added that people often see troopers handing out traffic tickets or at crash scenes, but Mattice was doing important work behind the scenes, too.
Outside of her more specific duties as a trooper, Angelino said Mattice reached out to students at the Unadilla Valley and Franklin school districts, spotlighting the “human aspect of being a trooper” in the state.
When the legislation was passed, he added that former students from these schools reached out to let him know the impacts Mattice had on them.
Angelino and Oberacker presented the certificate signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul enacting the law to designate the portion of state Route 23 in Mattice’s honor to her parents, Jeffrey Farrar and Karen Farrar.
Troop C Major Lucas M. Shuta said while the street sign may be made of metal, what “it represents is unbreakable.” He said to Mattice’s family that though the dedication can not lessen their grief, he hopes it can be a reminder of their daughter’s sacrifice.
State Police Capt. Marc Barbera, who once worked closely with Mattice, told an anecdote where he and Mattice stopped a man who they thought should not be driving. He said the man was “the size of a human grizzly bear.”
The man called Mattice “hot” and throughout the processing at the police station, he cooperated fairly well with Mattice, but not with Barbera. Barbera said he gave Mattice praise for handling the situation well. Later, his phone rang, and it was the man they pulled over calling him about going out on a date, thinking he was calling Mattice. Mattice gave the man Barbera’s phone number instead of her own.
He said he likes to tell the story because it “encapsulates everything Jill was.”
“She could be empathetic when she needed to be, she could be tough,” Barbera said. “She was brave and courageous. She came right over on my side … Not only that, she’s beautiful inside and out and hilariously funny.”
Mattice’s father, Jeff Farrar, said he is grateful to his daughter’s “second family,” the state troopers. He additionally thanked Oberacker and Angelino for moving the legislation along in the state legislature to make the unveiling possible.
At his church Sunday, Oct. 26, he said the children’s message was “we are not on this journey alone,” adding that everybody gets where they are because of the people supporting them along the way. Farrar said he was grateful for his family and his friends, some of which traveled down from Buffalo for the unveiling.
“Ten to 15, going on 16 years ago, they told us that Jill would never be forgotten,” Farrar said. “They have stayed true to their word. Thank you to the New York state troopers.”