by Dennis Dalman
Warm tributes, praises and good memories are still pouring in for a St. Joseph woman, Molly McClure, a Minnesota State Highway Patrol officer who drowned June 29 in Waubay Lake in northeast South Dakota.
According to reports from the Day County Sheriff’s Department, McClure left her boat to get into the lake but did not resurface. A search for her had to be delayed because of a sudden storm warning. Officials recovered her body the next morning, on June 30. McClure was only 33.
On the day of her funeral, July 8, Gov. Tim Walz issued a statewide declaration for “Trooper Mollie McClure Day” that honors her “professionalism, compassion and deep sense of duty in her nearly four years of service on the State Patrol. McClure was a beloved presence at recruiting events, inspiring others with her authenticity and her passion for public service, and was a mentor and friend to many throughout her career.”
Those who knew her describe her as a people-loving person who enjoyed helping others. One of those “others” was a desperate fawn that she rescued in 2023 by gently pulling the critter from a roadside wire fence near Avon. The video of that rescue went viral, with many thousands of views.
McClure was a patrol officer for the St. Cloud branch of the Minnesota State Highway Patrol, for which her older brother, Lee, also works as a patrol officer. She was inspired by her brother’s career to go into that line of work.
The MSHP released the following statement:
“Throughout her career, McClure contributed in many ways, including training trooper academy cadets, serving as a peer counselor and participating in a work group focused on increasing the number of female troopers within the agency. Beyond her official duties, McClure’s passion for others was widely recognized.”
Molly Rae McClure was born in Worthington, the daughter of Terri and Scott (Rasche). She and her family (one brother, Lee) lived and worked on a farm near Sioux Valley, Minn. very near Iowa’s northwest border. She graduated from Jackson County Central High School where she was active in three sports and the National Honor Society. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in physiology with a minor in Spanish studies.
During her last year at the University of Minnesota, McClure worked as an account representative for State Farm Insurance in Eden Prairie and then later, deciding to move closer to family, she moved and worked for another State Farm agency in St. Cloud. In 2018, she was hired by the Minnesota Department of Corrections (St. Cloud prison).
Later, with her goal of becoming a state trooper, she graduated from the Law Enforcement Training Opportunity program and worked for a time at Camp Ripley (by Little Falls). In October 2021 she received her patrol officer badge #343, which older brother Lee pinned to her at the ceremony, and that was the day her dream came true. She had become a proud member of the MSHP, St. Cloud District 2600.
In October 2020, McClure met and began dating Jay Kopel, a fellow worker for the Department of Corrections. They became inseparable, both very fond of cats and dogs and the great outdoors. They doted on their cat, Oxley, and a dog named Arrow that McClure loved to take for walks.
McClure’s funeral took place in Jackson County Central High School (Jackson, Minn.). Her significant other, Jay Kopel, lives in St. Joseph as does her brother, Lee, his wife Melissa and their children, Brenna and Eli.
The MSHP, on its Facebook page, had this to say about McClure:
“We are heartbroken to share that Trooper Mollie McClure has passed away following an off-duty accident on Waubay Lake in South Dakota. Trooper McClure was a valued member of our State Patrol family, known for her compassion, professionalism and unwavering dedication to service. From training academy cadets to supporting other troopers going through challenging times as a peer counselor, she made a lasting impact on everyone she met. Our deepest condolences go out to her family, friends and fellow troopers.”
State Trooper Molly McClure, a St. Joseph resident, loved people, pets and the great outdoors.