Voorhees Police Lt. Gerald M. Bonsall, 41

Lt. Gerald M. Bonsall, 41, of Voorhees, a 17-year veteran of the Voorhees Police Department who most recently led the criminal investigations unit, died of stomach cancer Saturday, April 24, at his home.

An athlete his entire life - a lifeguard for about six years and a Rutgers University baseball player - Lt. Bonsall seemed the perfect fit for an officer. But it wasn't his agility or physique that made him a star in the Voorhees department, his chief said. It was his attention to detail and friendly personality.

"He was well-liked by people, made good decisions . . . and was detail-oriented," Police Chief Keith F. Hummel said.

Lt. Bonsall started working in the patrol division in 1993 and rose through the ranks. He made lieutenant in January and was leading the criminal investigations unit with 12 people working under him.

"People were willing to follow him. They knew he would do the right thing," Hummel said.

Since 2001, Lt. Bonsall also was the team leader and then commander of the department's SWAT team until it was eliminated last year for lack of funds.

Born and raised in Gibbsboro, Lt. Bonsall graduated from Eastern Regional High School in 1986 and went to Rutgers University-Camden.

For four years, he played second base on Rutgers' baseball team. He graduated in 1992 with a criminal-justice degree.

Although no one in his family was a police officer, Lt. Bonsall and his younger brother Brian both had wanted to be officers since childhood, said their mother, Carol.

The boys grew up fishing and hunting, and Lt. Bonsall continued those hobbies throughout his life. A few years ago, he won the South Jersey shark tournament with a catch exceeding 400 pounds, his mother said.

Lt. Bonsall also followed baseball, and a few weeks ago took his 5-year-old son, Matthew, to his first Phillies game.

Even as he underwent chemotherapy, Lt. Bonsall continued to work and have a normal life.

"Jerry touched everybody," his mother said. "He has friends who are 70 and friends who are 19."

In addition to his son, brother, and mother, Lt. Bonsall is survived by his wife of almost 10 years, Janice; father, Gerald; and grandmother, Marie T. Zwolinski.

Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 29, and from 8 to 9 a.m. Friday, April 30, at Falco, Caruso & Leonard Funeral Home, 6600 Browning Rd., Pennsauken. A Funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Peter Catholic Church, 43 W. Maple Ave., Merchantville. A police procession will follow to Locustwood Cemetery, Cherry Hill.

Contributions may be made to the Matthew Bonsall Benefit Fund, c/o Leroy P. Wooster Funeral Home, 441 White Horse Pike, Atco, N.J. 08004.