By By BEN RAYMOND LODE / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- A Niles man who worked as a police officer in Chicago and was killed while on duty, will be honored at Calvary Cemetery in a ceremony in September.
It will be almost 100 years after his murder.
Robert J. Macaneny, who was shot dead in 1907, according to a newspaper article found by Chicago police officers, will be honored at the cemetery by members of the Chicago Police and St. Mary's Church representatives on Sept. 11.
The service will be conducted at 11 a.m.
Jonnie Kilic, St. Mary's Church secretary, said it was Chicago police officer Mike Dooley who first contacted St. Mary's regarding the murder of officer Macaneny a while back.
That was after Officer Dooley had read a newspaper clipping that said the murdered officer apparently was from Niles.
When it was confirmed Macaneny was in fact from Niles, Dooley and Kilic contributed to a story written by former Niles Daily Star staff reporter, Brian Shelton, in January of this year.
Kilic said the story was in part written as an effort to notify distant relatives that a ceremony was in the planning.
Kilic said the stone which marks the Macaneny's last and final place of rest, has been in place at Calvary since June.
The reason why the ceremony hasn't been held sooner, Kilic said, is because it has taken the police officers from Chicago a while to find a date to come to Niles.
Macaneny, however is not the only Chicago officer killed in the line of duty to be honored.
Kilic said the group of officers from Chicago, including officer Dooley, have decided to track down the families of as many Chicago police officers who have been killed while on duty as police officers as possible.