CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Chesapeake lake is getting a new name to honor a local police officer who died in the line of duty more than a decade ago, bringing both painful memories and healing to his grieving family.
Oak Grove Lake will officially be renamed Officer Timothy Schock Memorial Lake on Saturday, honoring Chesapeake Police Officer Timothy Schock who died during a training exercise at the location on December 20, 2011. Officer Schock drowned during a monthly dive training exercise when diving equipment malfunctioned during a search and rescue drill.
"That's not something I like to go back to," said Tammy Hill, Schock's fiancé.
For Schock's son Nicholas, the memories remain difficult to process.
"It's very blurry. I was in school when it happened, so I got pulled out of school," Nicholas Schock said.
The Chesapeake City Council voted unanimously at their January 13 council meeting to rename the lake where Officer Schock's life ended, to Officer Schock Memorial Lake. The decision has brought mixed emotions for his family members, who say grief comes in waves.
"It's always there. Some days you experience it, like I'm experiencing it now. And some days, it's just like, way in the background. But it's brought up some of the things I haven't experienced in awhile," Hill said.
Chesapeake City Councilmember Amanda Newins, was passionate about the renaming and she brought the proposal forward to the council agenda.
"I thought why didn't we do this 14 years ago, when he passed away. Why are we doing it now, and it didn't happen then? It's really an honor truly for me to bring that forth to them so that they can always have a place to remember him by, as well," Newins said.
Currently, a plaque and pavilion serve as the only memorial for Officer Schock at the lake. Once officially renamed Saturday at the annual Schock & Shivers Memorial 5K race, the entire lake will serve as a reminder of his ultimate sacrifice.
Nicholas Schock believes his father would appreciate the honor but hopes people will learn from the tragedy.
"He would be happy, it's changed to his name, but I think he'd at least want people to know his legacy and how, like, to prevent what happened," Nicholas Schock said.
Since Schock's death, the Chesapeake Police Department and other first responders have made significant safety upgrades to diving equipment to prevent similar tragedies. Following the accident, the Chesapeake Police Department implemented mandatory paramedics on dives, started requiring a support boat in the water, introduced professional servicing of all equipment, got new buoyancy compensators, and even more steps to ensure safe dives.
"Many of the divers have approached me and said, you know, because of his death—we now do this. Because of his death–-we now do this," Hill said.
The lake renaming ensures Officer Timothy Schock's legacy will be remembered by future generations who visit the park.
"When I have kids, I'll be able to show that we have a legacy, that's unfortunately, in the lake, but shows that my father had a decent impact in the community in Chesapeake," Schock said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
