Funeral, Procession Details For McHenry Sheriff's Deputy Keltner

ROCKFORD, IL — The community is mourning the loss of McHenry County sheriff's deputy Jacob Keltner, a Crystal Lake father to two young children who was assigned to the U.S. Marshal's Office Task Force. He was gunned down while attempting to serve a warrant to a fugitive at a motel in Rockford Thursday and died hours later. A funeral service and visitation has been set for this week for Keltner.

Keltner's public visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12 at DeFiore Funeral Home, 10763 Dundee Road in Huntley. A formal law enforcement walk-through will be held at 6 p.m.

According to the sheriff's office, there will not be any parking at the DeFiore Funeral Home. Those attending should park at either at St. Mary Catholic Church, 10307 Dundee Road in Huntley, or the Wal-Mart located at 12300 Illinois Route 47 in Huntley. From those locations, a bus will take attendees to and from the funeral home.

Keltner's funeral will start at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at Woodstock High School, 3000 Raffel Road in Woodstock. Parking at the high school will be for first responders only. The doors will open at 8 a.m. with law enforcement and other first responders receiving priority seating. The official procession will immediately follow the funeral.

The sheriff's office encourages the public to show their support and honor Deputy Keltner by lining the procession route on Wednesday. The public is also encouraged to leave notes or flowers on the squad dedicated to Keltner located on the east side of the building.

The procession route will be for law enforcement and emergency vehicles only and is as follows:

• Leave Woodstock High School north (right) on Raffel Road
• Turn west (left) on Charles Road
• Turn south (left) on Route 47
• Turn southeast (left) on Route 14
• Turn south (right) on Route 31
• Turn west (right) on James R. Rakow Road
• James R. Rakow Road turns into Randall Road
• Turn west (right) on Algonquin Road
• Turn south (left) on Ruth Road
• Turn south (left) on Dundee Road
• End at DeFiore Funeral Home

The McHenry County Sheriff's Office plans to share more information regarding the funeral procession route, parking locations, and more as planning progresses. The sheriff's office is sharing regular updates on its Facebook page.

Keltner was married and had two young boys, ages 4 and 6 years old.

"I can't even imagine how that's going to be; not having their dad there is going to be very hard. Because he's a good dad," Lisa Positeri told ABC 7. "I can hardly believe he was shot. I'm stunned."
Keltner, 35, lived with his family in Crystal Lake, and his parents lived "just around the corner."

Neighbors told ABC 7 those living nearby often saw Keltner and his family walking to his parents' house and his parents often making the nearby trek to their son's home.

"My heart really goes out to the mom and the dad because to lose a child, I don't care how old they are, it's still your child," said Joyce Heckler, a neighbor, said.

RELATED: 'Loved And Respected' Deputy Dies After Rockford Shooting

Keltner was loved and respected by his colleagues at the McHenry County Sheriff's Office, McHenry County Sheriff Bill Prim said in a statement Thursday following news of Keltner's death.

Keltner was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Mercy Health Javon Bea Hospital - Riverside, nearly six hours after he was shot while attempting to serve an arrest warrant with the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force at Extended Stay America in the 700 block of North Bell School Road in Rockford.

• 'We Saw You': Symbols Of Unity At Fallen Deputy's Procession

The gunman, Floyd E. Brown, 39, of Springfield, is charged with first-degree murder in Keltner's death. Brown, who was wanted on several warrants, shot through a door at the Rockford hotel, hitting Keltner. He is expected to make his initial court appearance Monday.

On Friday, a second procession ran from the coroner's office in Rockford to DeFiore Funeral Home in Huntley, traveling down Interstate 90 and into downtown Huntley. Strangers as well as those who knew Keltner silently watched as vehicles passed through downtown Huntley, one carrying the body of the longtime sheriff's office deputy. Many became emotional as they watched the cars travel slowly by.

The sheriff's office has fielded several requests regarding fundraising efforts for Keltner's family. While no formal fundraiser has been set up, officials confirmed over the weekend that the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, which has created a CrowdRise site to raise funds to pay off the mortgage for Keltner's wife, is a legitimate fundraising entity.

Patch editor Amie Rowland contributed to this piece.