'His light still shines': Eric Talley's family recalls fallen officer as Boulder post office dedicated in his honor
The Boulder Post Office was renamed the Eric H. Talley Post Office at a ceremony honoring the officer's heroism last year. Talley was the first officer to arrive at the King Sooper shooting in March 2021 and rushed in, putting his own life on the line to save the lives of others. In addition to Talley, nine other people were killed that day.
Talley's mom among those who attended the ceremony, "I know those of us that love Eric could never forget him because he's unforgettable. His presence just filled the whole room. Where is the sarcasm now Eric, and the laughter, and the love, and the joy?"
Judy Talley said, over the last year, people have told her again and again that her son would never be forgotten. She says she thought they were just being kind. Now, she says, she knows that her son's memory will live on and that the Eric H. Talley Post Office will be a reminder of who he was and the sacrifice he made.
"I want to tell you something about my son," she said to a crowd that included Gov. Jared Polis, Congressman Joe Neguse, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold, and Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty. "Eric called me every day at least once, usually twice. I can't explain to you how much I miss those calls, 'Hey mom, it's your number one son Eric.' 'Eric, I only have one son but...'"
To Judy Talley, the officer who rushed into a grocery store with bullets flying around him to save the lives of others is the same four-year-old who climbed to the top of a tree with branches breaking below him to save a kitten, "This is not just how Eric died. This is my son. This is how Eric lived his whole life."
When Talley lost his life March 22, 2021, he left behind a wife and seven kids, who also attended the dedication but didn't speak.
His mom said she knew what he would do in an active shooting situation, saying they'd discussed it and she'd begged him to wait for backup, "He said, 'No, no mom. There are things worse than death, and for me, that would be standing there waiting for backup while people were dying. I couldn't live with myself.'"
Talley's sister wasn't surprised by his actions either. She recalled how her older brother brought her a nightlight when she was young and afraid of the dark and told her all the darkness in the world couldn't put out a single light, "His light still shines. For all of you who have lost anybody to darkness, I hope this is a reminder that all the darkness in the world can't put out one small light."
In addition to Talley's family, the families of several other victims, along with his police family came to honor him, too.
"None of you forgot Eric," Judy Talley said, giving special thanks to Neguse, "I honestly can't tell you how indebted we all are for this."
Neguse sponsored the bill to rename the Boulder Post Office the Eric H. Talley Post Office, in memory of the officer who gave his life, the son who was larger than life, and the man who remains a light in the darkness.
"That's who Eric Talley was," his sister Kirsten said. "In this world today, we need that."
Colorado's entire Congressional delegation signed on to Neguse's bill as co-sponsors.
A Boulder police officer read a statement from Talley's wife who said, "It is with sorrow that we recall the events of March 2021 when so many lives were lost and our families forever changed, but amidst this sorrow, it is our sincere hope that when the patrons of this post office see the name of Officer Talley they will continue to be strengthened in hope and in the knowledge that good remains in the world and that it will prevail."
