News Nearby: Longtime Police Sergeant Retires Amid Blue Ribbon Tribute

Tom Weaver admitted he has been “kind of at a loss.”

The longtime sergeant has ended his 34-year career, and while Weaver said he is ready to enjoy his retirement, he added it still feels odd knowing he’s no longer going to be a part of the police force.

“It’s a weird feeling,” he said with a smile last week.

But then, Cecil Township police Chief John T. Pushak said Weaver’s love for the force was evident from the moment he was hired.

Weaver had initially worked in Canonsburg as an officer but was furloughed, forcing him to seek work in another field before approaching the Cecil department, Pushak said.

“He said, ‘All I want to be is a policeman,’” Pushak recalled.

And he added that the longtime member of the department was always dedicated and hard-working.

He was the kind of guy who could be counted on to take on overtime shifts—but Pushak said Weaver’s work ethic wasn't the only thing that made him a quality policeman.

“Tom is a very caring and a very compassionate person, and he took those qualities into his police work,” Pushak said.

His daughter, Angela, added that her father has always been a humble man—warning that he would never mention the time, for example, that he saved a woman from flood waters in Cecil (despite not knowing how to swim himself) if not asked specifically about it.

Asked about the incident, which landed him on a national talk show, Weaver just shrugged it off—saying: “I never thought about it ‘til later.”

Then he added: “Do you know she keeps in touch with me to this day?”

Weaver admitted that he enjoyed police work largely because he enjoys people—and the idea of being able to help patrol and protect the area in which he grew up.

“It’s weird that it’s over,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t ready for the next chapter of his life, which will include pursuing his many hobbies, spending time with his grandkids and traveling with his wife.

“I have a lot of projects to do,” he said. “I’m going to do a lot of the things I always wanted to do but never had time for.”

Weaver’s retirement was punctuated by a community effort to honor his years of service—one that was coordinated by Angela, much to his surprise.

She put out a call on Facebook for community members to tie out blue ribbons and signs thanking her father for his more than three decades of protecting the community.

And the call was heard.

Not only did blue ribbons and signs start cropping up on mailboxes and near businesses, but friends from out of state even participated by posting pictures of their tributes on the Sergeant Weaver Blue Ribbon Tribute Facebook event page.

Weaver said he was overwhelmed by the amount of community support he received, adding he was finally let in on the blue ribbons when he arrived at the most recent , where they

“I can't thank you all enough for (your) support. My whole family, especially my father, is blown away by the tribute!” Angela Weaver said on the Facebook page.