Omaha officer who died several years ago gets memorial at Horsemen’s Park

OMAHA, Nebraska – There are a variety of ways to memorialize our heroic ancestors.

A one-of-a-kind memorial was constructed in honor of a police officer from Omaha who passed very suddenly a number of years ago; nonetheless, the memorial impeded the city’s ability to make progress.

A monument erected in honor of Officer Torrey Gully stood tall for a number of years close to one of the entrances to the main building at Horseman’s Park.

“I believe that they ought to keep it exactly as it is right now.”

But because there was going to be a new casino in the same location, the horse monument needed to be relocated, and the auctioneer, Tom Rine, felt that it deserved something better than the auction block.

Rine stated that the family has expressed interest in purchasing it in the past, but they are currently unreachable.

6 News was able to find Mia Gully and inform her that the racecourse had donated the unique tribute that had been created for her late husband.

“Just to be able to look at there and see that horse and know it’s a part of our family rather than being put away because they’re building a casino is extremely significant to us,” said Gully. “Just to be able to look at there and see that horse and know it’s a part of our family.”

Torrey, 42 years old and a veteran of the Omaha Police Patrol Division for nearly ten years, passed very unexpectedly from a heart attack in 2013 while he was working out in the gym.

“He’s always in our memories, and we talk about him all the time, as you can see photographs still up of him,” said Gully. “You can see pictures that are still up of him.”

The fiberglass horse was painstakingly hand-painted by local artist Glenda Musilek as part of the “horses of honor” memorial project, which honors those who have died serving their country. A sale of the herd took place in 2016 with the proceeds going to the Omaha Police Foundation. Torrey’s hero horse was purchased by Horseman’s Park, where it had been greeting race spectators up until just last week.

“We want to be good stewards, and we are glad we got to utilize the horse for a number of years to adorn our front entry,” said Lori Thomas, the manager of Horseman’s Park. “We are thrilled we got to use the horse for a number of years to grace our front entrance.”

The life-size monument has been moved to the paddock for safekeeping while preparations for its delicate relocation to the residence of the officer’s widow are finalized.

“When I heard how much it meant to her, I thought ‘oh goodness I’m so glad we took the extra effort and so glad we were able to connect with you to get this done,'” said Thomas. “When I heard how much it meant to her, I thought ‘oh goodness I’m so glad we took the extra effort and so glad we were able to connect with

The horse is imbued with more than just the likeness of a hero.

Another reason why the officer’s widow is moved by the tribute that was given to her late husband is because it contains the officer’s uniform. Her family’s fingerprints can be found on each of the three items.

“That’s my fingerprint, and Torreyanna’s and Taleah’s as well. “It has a lot of sentimental value because his heart is in there and our fingerprints are near to our hearts,” Gully said.

Mia has already chosen the location in her backyard for the monument that will be erected in memory of her late husband.

Gully stated that if they opened their patio door and looked out that window, then “the floods would open.”

This weekend, the personnel at Horsemen’s Park will be extremely busy due to the Breeder’s Cup.

However, after it is complete, they will begin formulating a strategy for moving the horse statue to the residence of the officer’s widow and assembling it there. Mike hears from the artist who painted it that she is interested in assisting.

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