Slain trooper's wife: He gave his life to his job

Cpl. Stephen J. Ballard may not have always worn his Delaware State Police uniform, but he was always on duty, his wife Louise said.

"He gave, literally, his life to this job," she said in an interview with The News Journal. "But when he was living, he gave his life each day to Delaware and the community he served."

Ballard was gunned down Wednesday in a Bear-area Wawa parking lot when he approached a suspicious vehicle and the passenger jumped out and began firing at him. Ballard fell after being hit, and the shooter continued to fire rounds into the trooper before fleeing to his family's Middletown-area home.

The shooter was identified as 26-year-old Burgon Sealy Jr., who was shot dead by police 21 hours after emerging from the barricaded home that was largely destroyed by explosive charges used to break down windows and doors. Sealy appeared armed with a weapon after an armored vehicle ripped siding off the structure.

A Celebration of Life service is slated for 11 a.m. Friday at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington. Those wishing to pay respects to his family are invited to do so from 8:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. Immediately following, uniformed emergency services personnel will be invited to pay their respects.

Friends, colleagues and family members described the 32-year-old Ballard as having a big smile and a positive nature. His wife said his willingness to help people is what attracted her to him in the first place.

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The two met through mutual friends at the Delaware State Police, where Ballard began working 8½ years ago after graduating from Delaware State University. He was recruited by troopers to join the force right out of college, Louise Ballard said, and he graduated the academy in April 2009.

The two were married on Nov. 15, 2015, at the DuPont Country Club near Wilmington. The family had recently moved to Hockessin, and Ballard was working as a patrolman based out of Troop 2 in Glasgow.

He didn't always intend to be a state trooper, Louise said. Ballard originally started DSU in the school's aviation program with dreams of being a pilot, after serving as a Civil Air Patrol cadet in the wing’s Andrews Composite Squadron from 1998-2006.

Lt. Col. James Brogan, now chief of staff for the Nebraska Wing, previously served in the same squadron with Ballard and remembered him as a man with quiet demeanor, steadfast determination and unquestionable integrity.

“A man whose actions were consistent with his word, Stephen set an example to all around him and inspires us to be and do more in our communities," Brogan said in a release from the Civil Air Patrol National Capital Wing. "His legacy can be seen in the love shared across this nation and among those of us who had the privilege to know him. It's more than accurate to say that I learned more from Stephen than I could have ever imparted to him.”

Ballard changed his major to criminal justice after realizing he wanted to engage more with the community as a police officer rather than a pilot, his wife said. He continued to work with the university through the only collegiate chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, or NOBLE, where he mentored about eight students.

He was also highly involved in NOBLE career fairs, fundraising events and recruiting, said Delaware Chapter President Director Joseph Bryant Jr., adding that Ballard touched many lives within the organization.

"He had an infectious smile and caring spirit with a kind and giving heart," Bryant said in a statement. "While we know we have lost a member of the law enforcement community, we have truly lost a member of our family."

In lieu of flowers at the funeral, Ballard's family has requested donations be made in his memory to NOBLE.

The outpouring of love and support for the Delaware State Police and Ballard's family in the days after his death would have made him even prouder to be a trooper, Louise Ballard said. This camaraderie and willingness to serve and support each other was the reason he wore the uniform, she said.

"He wanted to help people in the best way," Louise Ballard said. "Out of the kindness of his heart, if he wanted to help someone, he would do that. Personally, that was his nature; it's who he was."

Ballard's love for people spilled over into his personal life, where he helped his wife raise their 5-year-old daughter, Abigail. Many who knew him immediately described him as a family man who put his wife and daughter first.

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State police created a memorial fund to help his family at the Delaware State Police Federal Credit Union. Checks can be made out to the DSTA-Stephen Ballard Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 168, Cheswold, DE 19936.

All Wawa locations in Delaware will also be collecting donations for Ballard's memorial fund, and the company pledged to match the first $50,000 in customer donations. A small memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at the Pulaski Highway location, which has been closed since Ballard was killed there.

But underneath the badge and uniform, Ballard was human, too, Louise said.

He loved to travel, even if it was only up to Philadelphia to catch dinner and a show. Every year, she said, they tried to take a new trip together and see another part of the world.

He was also a fan of gardening, she admitted with a laugh.

"He actually really enjoyed cutting the grass," Louise Ballard said. "He was very proud of his lawn."

And he never passed up the opportunity to make better the world he lived in, she said. He would often cover costs of dry cleaning or car repairs for friends who needed help.

Once he stopped to counsel a young woman driving erratically when he was off duty in his trooper SUV, Louise recalled. He was on his way to the gym when he pulled her over, she said, but he wanted her to be safer and make others on the road safer, too.

"He cared about Delaware," she said. "This is the only job he's had and he's known, and he really took it seriously. He respected the job. ... He had a lot of good friends on the force. And I know he's going to be terribly missed."

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.