Gone, but never forgotten, a state trooper who was killed in the line of duty back in 1982 was honored Friday.

 “He was very good natured.  He was very honest, very trusting, and extremely loving,” Barbara Henzel said.  That is how Henzel remembers her father, Trooper Herbert A. Wirfel.

“He was a state trooper that was killed chasing a person in his vehicle,” Representative Frank Burns explained.

Friday morning wasn’t a time to mourn a loss though, but a moment to remember and honor a local hero.

A small bridge in Cambria County, which overlooks Route 219, is now dedicated to the loving father, husband, and state trooper, Herbert Wirfel.

“My dad was a very good natured man.  He was a wonderful father.  He always took care of us,” Henzel said at the dedication ceremony Friday.

“He was a man who served the community.  He was a good father.  He was someone who we all looked up to as we became troopers and he presented what the state police stands for,” said Trooper Scott A. Urban.

Dozens packed the New Germany Grove Hall to see the new sign unveiled for the family.

Those closest to Trooper Wirfel called him an amazing man, who always gave people the benefit of the doubt.  Each year an award is presented in his honor to the top girl at Camp Cadet for their positive impact.

Even though he is gone now, the state police family told us that his sacrifice will live on forever.