Tunnel to Towers pays off mortgage for family of fallen Joplin police officer

Tunnel to Towers, an organization that pays off mortgages for families of police officers and firefighters who were killed in the line of duty announced today it was paying off mortgages for the families of 21 fallen first responders, including Cpl. Ben Cooper of the Joplin Police Department.

Cooper was shot to death March 8 while responding to a disturbance near the Northpark Crossing shopping center.

Tunnel for Towers' press release is printed below:

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced today that it has paid off the mortgages held on the homes of twenty-one fallen first responder families, in honor of the twenty-first anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Tunnel to Towers was established in memory of fallen FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on that fateful day.

The twenty-one mortgage payoffs include the families of:

Mineral Point, Wisconsin Fire Captain Brian Cecil Busch
Joplin, Missouri Police Corporal Benjamin Cooper
Salt River, Arizona Police Officer Clayton Joel Townsend
Arvada, Colorado Police Officer Gordon Beesley
Billerica, Massachusetts Firefighter/EMT Patrick Corbett
Mesa, Arizona Fire Captain Trevor Cowley Madrid
Illinois Police Senior Master Trooper Todd Anthony Hanneken
Champaign, Illinois Firefighter Trevor Herderhorst
Portsmouth, Ohio Firefighter/EMT Edward Jay Long
Connecticut State Police Sergeant Brian Erik Mohl
Gallatin County, Montana Deputy Sheriff Jacob Otto Allmendinger
FBI Special Agent Jimmie John Daniels
Baltimore County Firefighter/Paramedic Brian Dennis Neville
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Trainee Wolf Valmond
Yuma, Colorado Fire Captain Darcy Stallings
El Paso, Texas Fire Suppression Technician Eduardo Ramirez
Jones County, North Carolina Sheriff Danny Heath
Pennsylvania State Trooper Martin Francis Mack III
Bloom Township, Ohio Fire Lieutenant/Paramedic Ralph “Andy” Nunley

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Fallen First Responder Program pays off mortgages for the families of law enforcement officers and firefighters who are killed in the line of duty and leave behind young children, ensuring that they will always have a place to call home. In 2021, Tunnel to Towers expanded the program to support the families of first responders who have lost their lives to 9/11 illnesses.

“When America was attacked on September 11, 2001, my brother and so many others rushed headfirst into danger and laid down their lives, trying to save as many people as they could. Twenty-one years later, I am proud to keep my brother Stephen’s memory alive by supporting the families of these heroes who have also sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Their dedication and their sacrifice will never be forgotten, and the families they left behind will always have the support of Tunnel to Towers,” said Foundation Chairman & CEO Frank Siller.

Earlier this week, the Foundation announced the establishment of the Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Institute™, the organization’s expanded effort to educate and inform future generations of the 9/11 fallen and the heroic actions that took place on September 11, 2001.

Visit T2T.org for more information on the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s programs supporting our nation’s heroes, and ensuring we NEVER FORGET.

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Remembering: People Who Touched Our Lives, featuring 56 stories about people who left a lasting impact, is available now at Always Buying Books, The Book Guy and Changing Hands Book Shoppe in Joplin and the Lamar Democrat office in Lamar and can be purchased from Amazon at this link.

Signed copies can be ordered at the PayPal link below or by sending $25 (including sales tax and shipping) to Randy Turner, 2306 E. 8th, Apt. A, Joplin, MO 64801.