The Pennsylvania State Police trooper who was killed in an early-morning crash in Ligonier will be buried Tuesday.

Trooper Michael Stewart was killed when his patrol vehicle collided with a garbage truck shortly after 3 a.m. near the intersection of Routes 711 and 271. He was a week shy of his 27th birthday.

Visitation was scheduled from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at the John J. Lopatich Funeral Home in Latrobe, where the Fraternal Order of Police planned a memorial service there at 7 p.m.

Trooper Stewart will be buried at Unity Cemetery in Latrobe, following a funeral Mass at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Holy Family Church in Latrobe. 

According to the state police, the funeral procession will leave from the church on Chestnut Street to Jefferson Street, Irving Avenue, take a right onto Ligonier Street, a right onto Route 982 south then onto Route 30 west. It then proceeds along St. Vincent Drive, Monastery Drive and onto Unity Cemetery Road.

Trooper Stewart joined the force in 2014. He worked out of the Greensburg barracks for nearly two years, and was previously assigned to Troop H Chambersburg. He graduated from Greater Latrobe Senior High School in 2008 and from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a degree in criminal justice in 2012 before joining the state police. He also attended Westmoreland County Community College. 

For several years, he worked summers at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, relatives said.

He is survived by his parents, Michael Stewart Jr. and Lynn Stewart, as well as his brother, Jason Stewart, his paternal grandmother, Becky Stewart, and his maternal grandparents, Richard and Mary Crawford, all of Latrobe. He is also survived by his girlfriend, Meredith Lehman, of Adamsburg.

The family suggests memorial contributions be sent to the Troopers Helping Troopers Foundation in Harrisburg.

A colleague who was riding with Trooper Stewart in the state police SUV when it crashed suffered a concussion. The driver of the garbage truck was uninjured.

First Published: July 17, 2017, 9:49 a.m.
Updated: July 17, 2017, 9:51 a.m.