Tim Fleck

The residents of Akron and brothers in uniform are trying to come to grips today with the sudden and unexpected death of a man hailed as great police officer and friend.

Akron Town Marshal Tim Fleck, 49 died at 9:12 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, at Woodlawn Hospital Emergency Room in Rochester, Ind., of an apparent heart attack. He was just 49.

Fleck graduated in 1982 from Tippecanoe Valley High School and went to work as a deputy for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department. He then joined the Akron Police Department and, in 1998, was appointed the department’s chief deputy marshal. He was then appointed marshal, a position he had held for several years.

Fleck was in Warsaw just last month to accept a donation of guns for the Akron Police Department from Eagle Creek Firearms. From left are Fleck, Eagle Creek Firearms owner Jay Jacobs, and Akron Police Officer Justin Gearhart. (Photo by Stacey Page)

Friends and family members of Fleck, shocked and saddened by his sudden passing.

Pennie Ward told StaceyPageOnline.com, “Tim will truly be missed. He was a humanitarian first and for most. He was a very carrying person and looked out after the Akron kids. You just knew he was going to do his best to make it safe for them and lead them down the right path. Not only was he a good man, but a good cop … He really tried to be fair. RIP Tim. Town of Akron will not be the same without you.”

On the funeral home website, Vianca Vanessa Martinez Patiño wrote, “I will never forget the most amazing cop.” She recalled his “big heart and great personality.”

Fleck was engaged to be married and one of his future in-laws, Carrie Strahlem, wrote, “Oh Tim … we’re lost without u … u were such a great person this house is so empty without u our heart is broken. God please help my family we’re lost …. I love u timmy.”

Fleck’s outreach for the community he proudly served extended beyond the badge. He was a member of the Henry Township Advisory Board, a member of the Fulton County and Indiana Fraternal Order of Police and was a former member of the Henry Township Fire Department.

Fleck will be sadly missed by his family, friends and the community. His complete obituary appears HERE.