Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Willard Santel succumbed to injuries he received when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a retaining wall while testing a new motorcycle on Old Wright Highway (now Interstate I-75) in Lockland on May 8, 1945. Suffering from a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula, he was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital. While hospitalized, he developed bilateral pneumonia and died on May 29, 1945. Patrolman Santel had served with the Reading Police Department for 1 1/2 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his expectant wife, who later gave birth to their daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-B632B28D- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Willard. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
You barely got started.
Patrolman Santel gave the Reading Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Reading community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Santel.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Willard H. Santel is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Willard H. Santel's cause is highlighted.
How Willard H. Santel Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Willard H. Santel is highlighted in May.