You have probably seen Officer Tenorio directing traffic on his motorcycle, interacting with St. Louisans and letting awe inspired kids sit on his decked-out motorcycle during parades. Last June, Downtown St. Louis became a sea of blue as thousands gathered in celebration of the St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup Championship win. Along that parade route was the familiar and friendly face of Officer Dave Tenorio.
Officer Tenorio’s love for his city of St. Louis is paralleled to his passion for serving his country. He met his wife, Kathy, in the United States Air Force.
Shortly after serving in Operation Desert Storm, they moved to St. Louis to pursue a career in law enforcement.
He became a police officer and served with the Air National Guard. He aided in relief efforts from the Flood of ’93 and was deployed to Iceland following 9/11.
In addition to Officer Tenorio’s city and national duties, he dedicates time to educating students on his Native American culture at his nephew’s school. His village is the San Felipe Pueblo located in New Mexico where his family resides. Officer Tenorio and Kathy travel there multiple times each year to participate in traditional days of celebration.
Recently, Officer Tenorio was diagnosed with COVID-19 which lead him to the ICU in critical condition. BackStoppers responded by providing $10,000 for expenses. As his condition worsened, his wife was unable to be by his side. Kathy says, “This whole journey has been like a bad dream. God has tested my faith with having to go through this alone at home.” In a positive turn of events, Officer Tenorio began to progress and was able to be sent home with a hero’s send off from the hospital. Kathy happily shares, “He’s sincerely the strongest person I know. He does indeed have a long road ahead, but he has his eye on that police motorcycle!
“I have seen BackStoppers at work and it is an incredible organization. As someone who never thought I’d need their help, this has been a very humbling experience and I don’t know what we would have done without them,” Officer Tenorio shares. We hope for his continued smooth recovery.
