CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Dodds Park will be hosting a remembrance ceremony for Illinois State Troopers Corey Thompsen and Todd Hanneken.

The Workers Day Ceremony will take place on Monday at 5 p.m. in Champaign. The event will honor troopers Thompsen and Hanneken, who both lost their lives while they were on duty. Families, friends and co-workers of both troopers will attend the ceremony.

Both Thompsen and Hanneken were both based at the Pesotum post and died after traffic accidents while on duty in rural Champaign County in 2024 and 2021, respectively.

On March 25, 2021, trooper Hanneken was on patrol west of Champaign when his vehicle left the road and struck a pole and tree. 45-year-old Hanneken was from Long Creek and was the son of a retired state trooper. He spent 20 years with the state police and is survived by his wife Shelley and two sons, Ben and Nick.

On Oct. 18, 2024, trooper Thompsen was finishing a traffic enforcement detail north of Champaign when another driver pulled into the roadway and struck his motorcycle. 28-year-old Thompsen lived and grew up in St. Joseph and is survived by his wife Chelsea, mother Susan, father Steve and brothers.

“Both officers made the ultimate sacrifice while serving and protecting our community,” said Matt Kelley, president of the AFL-CIO of Champaign County. “We appreciate their bravery and selflessness and are eternally grateful for their service.”

The local ceremonies are among hundreds of Workers Memorial Day events taking place across the nation. These events started in 1970 with the signing of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

The AFL-CIO of Champaign County and East Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council have organized local ceremonies annually to call attention to the need for greater workplace safety for everyone.