​San Bernardino Fallen Heroes to Be Honored at Park Grand Opening

Two of San Bernardino’s fallen heroes will be honored at 10 a.m. Saturday during the grand opening ceremony for a new park and skate park named in their honor.

Located on the northwest corner of 9th and E Streets, Bryce E. Hanes Park is named in honor of a beloved husband, father and award winning San Bernardino Police Officer who was killed on duty in 2015 at the age of 39 when his patrol car was struck by a drunken motorist.

The new 2.8-acre park also includes the Jon Cole Skate Park, which is named after a 21-year-old skater who died in 2011 while trying to save his mother and step father from fallen power lines.

Bryce Hanes' widow, brother and other family members will be at the event as well as Keith Cole, Jon Cole's father. Bryce Hanes' brother, Scott, and Keith Cole are both scheduled to speak.

“This is a community park in the truest sense of the word,” said San Bernardino Mayor R. Carey Davis, noting that the park and skate park not only reflect extensive community input, but honor two local heroes whose contributions to the city will never be forgotten.

The park also symbolizes the successful partnership between the City of San Bernardino and San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, which modified an existing joint powers authority in 2013 to build and manage the grant-funded park.

“We see the completion of this park as a testament to the willingness of the City of San Bernardino and Valley District to work together as good neighbors to complete a much needed park that will greatly benefit this local community,” said Susan Longville, Valley District’s president.

“We also appreciate the opportunity to use this park as a demonstration garden to showcase water efficient trees and plants, which can help us conserve water, our most precious resource.”

These include California fan palms, southern live oaks, ash and willow trees, while ground covers include rosemary, blue rye, lobster flowers and lavender, according to Valley District Director Gil Navarro.

Mayor Davis noted that the park was designed with extensive community input. It includes a soccer practice field, basketball courts, climbing structures and a splash pad that recycles water to irrigate different types of Water Saving Garden Friendly trees and plants. The park also includes picnic areas and fitness stations for adults.

The park also features memorial plaques, which describe Bryce Hanes and Jon Cole and their contributions to San Bernardino.

A dedicated family man, Bryce insisted on working the graveyard shift so that he could spend as many daylight hours as possible with his wife, Alice, and children, Abby, Katie and Ben. His friends and fellow police officers affectionately called him “Bear Paw.”

“People would call him a gentle giant,” said his brother, Scott Hanes. “He was a big guy with bearlike hands, but he had a soft cuddly heart. He was always trying to help people as best he could.”

Bryce was compassionate, too. A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, he spent two years as a missionary in Antofagasta, Chile, where he became fluent in Spanish.

Born in Redlands and raised in San Bernardino, he attended local schools, including Del Rosa Elementary School, Golden Valley Junior High School and San Bernardino High School, where he played on the baseball and football teams, graduating with the Class of 1993.

After graduating from San Bernardino Valley College, he attended the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy, graduating on June 12, 2003. He was sworn in as an officer in the San Bernardino Police Department four days later.

Bryce was a hero to his community, receiving a Sheriff’s Medal for Meritorious Service and recognition from Senator Barbara Boxer for rescuing a runaway teen in 2004. He later received a commendation for his help evacuating an area of San Bernardino when a freight train with hazardous chemicals derailed near Macy and Foothill Boulevard on April 4, 2005. He also received awards and commendations for his help recovering several stolen vehicles.

“He was just excited to be a cop, to go out there and try to make a difference, and he did,” said Bryce’s brother, Scott.

Keith Cole remembers his son, Jon, as “a kind, gentle young man.”

He attended Cajon High School and graduated with the Class of 2007. He later received training as an Emergency Medical Technician at Crafton Hills College and worked at a local facility taking care of developmentally disabled adults.

But Jon was best known in the local community for his skating, and his willingness to teach younger skaters how to do tricks. A petition to name this skate park in his honor generated nearly 1,000 signatures — close to 10 times the number of signatures required for such as dedication.

Keith Cole said Jon’s family called him J-Bird. His family and friends continue to honor his memory, saying, “Fly high, free bird. Shred in peace.”

BRYCE E. HANES PARK

This park is dedicated to the memory of Bryce E. Hanes, a beloved husband, father and San Bernardino Police Officer who was killed on duty at the age of 39 when his patrol car was struck by a drunken motorist.

A dedicated family man, Bryce insisted on working the graveyard shift so that he could spend as many daylight hours as possible with his wife, Alice, and children, Abby, Katie and Ben.

His friends and fellow police officers affectionately called him “Bear Paw.”

“People would call him a gentle giant,” said his brother, Scott Hanes. “He was a big guy with bearlike hands, but he had a soft cuddly heart. He was always trying to help people as best he could.”

Bryce was compassionate, too. A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, he spent two years as a missionary in Antofagasta, Chile, where he became fluent in Spanish.

Born in Redlands and raised in San Bernardino, he attended local schools, including Del Rosa Elementary School, Golden Valley Junior High School and San Bernardino High School, where he played on the baseball and football teams, graduating with the Class of 1993.

After graduating from San Bernardino Valley College, he attended the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy, graduating on June 12, 2003. He was sworn in as an officer in the San Bernardino Police Department four days later.

Bryce was a hero to his community, receiving a Sheriff’s Medal for Meritorious Service and recognition from Senator Barbara Boxer for rescuing a runaway teen in 2004. He later received a commendation for his help evacuating an area of San Bernardino when a freight train with hazardous chemicals derailed near Macy and Foothill Boulevard on April 4, 2005. He also received awards and commendations for his help recovering several stolen vehicles.

“He was just excited to be a cop, to go out there and try to make a difference, and he did,” said Bryce’s brother, Scott.

Jon Cole Skate Park

This skate park is dedicated to the memory of Jon Cole of San Bernardino, a well known local skater who died at the age of 21 on January 14, 2011 while trying to rescue his mother and stepfather from downed power lines.

“He was a kind, gentle young man,” said his father, Keith Cole.

He attended Cajon High School and graduated with the Class of 2007. He later received training as an Emergency Medical Technician at Crafton Hills College and worked at a local facility taking care of developmentally disabled adults.

But Jon was best known in the local community for his skating, and his willingness to teach younger skaters how to do tricks. A petition to name this skate park in his honor generated nearly 1,000 signatures.

Jon’s family called him J-Bird. His family and friends continue to honor his memory, saying, “Fly high, free bird. Shred in peace.”

Image via Pixabay