January is here.
Jan. 8th, 2011 11:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feliciakwWell, it actually started to feel like January today. There is a thin layer of snow on the ground, and we put the Christmas decorations away yesterday.
I've been watching videos and reading articles about Suzanne's funeral. I miss being home in Ohio so very much. And I'm so proud of my home church for being the hands and feet and serving and comforting the community and the family and all the way they have.
From what I read, law enforcement officers and police cruisers from as far away as California and Canada were in attendance. The Chicago PD apparently had a pretty significant presence there. LEOs from surrounding counties and municipalities offered to cover for the Clark County LEOs who would be in attendance at the funeral.
The proceedings started an hour behind schedule due to the procession of at least 1,600 police cruisers to the church and to the cemetery. Suzanne was laid to rest in a small country cemetery on the same road where she grew up.
As I've said, I didn't know her well, but now I rather wish I had known her better. She received accolades and commendations from both sides--from her fellow LEOs and from the female inmates at the county jail when she worked there. The instance that prompted the women to write to Sheriff Kelly was in response to the way Suzanne handled a call from a 9-year-old girl when she called the jail after her mother had been arrested. Suzanne was very comforting and compassionate. She was reportedly very good with children and teens, and was a natural leader and guide. Though Sheriff Kelly said that she wasn't afraid to use force if she had to.
I just kept thinking as I was reading and watching, "Gone too soon" and "There's still work to do." But Suzanne's work here is done. As one of her fellow LEOs wrote in remembrance, "We'll take it from here."
Only one article I read mentioned the Last Call that a dispatcher makes at a police officer's funeral, and it broke my heart to think about. I've cried a lot these past few days.
In an effort to start looking up, I think I might try to post on a regular basis little things that make me happy or make my life easier. Things I'm thankful for. Accentuate the positive and all of that.
And we're planning on going to see Tangled today, so that should be fun, right?
I've been watching videos and reading articles about Suzanne's funeral. I miss being home in Ohio so very much. And I'm so proud of my home church for being the hands and feet and serving and comforting the community and the family and all the way they have.
From what I read, law enforcement officers and police cruisers from as far away as California and Canada were in attendance. The Chicago PD apparently had a pretty significant presence there. LEOs from surrounding counties and municipalities offered to cover for the Clark County LEOs who would be in attendance at the funeral.
The proceedings started an hour behind schedule due to the procession of at least 1,600 police cruisers to the church and to the cemetery. Suzanne was laid to rest in a small country cemetery on the same road where she grew up.
As I've said, I didn't know her well, but now I rather wish I had known her better. She received accolades and commendations from both sides--from her fellow LEOs and from the female inmates at the county jail when she worked there. The instance that prompted the women to write to Sheriff Kelly was in response to the way Suzanne handled a call from a 9-year-old girl when she called the jail after her mother had been arrested. Suzanne was very comforting and compassionate. She was reportedly very good with children and teens, and was a natural leader and guide. Though Sheriff Kelly said that she wasn't afraid to use force if she had to.
I just kept thinking as I was reading and watching, "Gone too soon" and "There's still work to do." But Suzanne's work here is done. As one of her fellow LEOs wrote in remembrance, "We'll take it from here."
Only one article I read mentioned the Last Call that a dispatcher makes at a police officer's funeral, and it broke my heart to think about. I've cried a lot these past few days.
In an effort to start looking up, I think I might try to post on a regular basis little things that make me happy or make my life easier. Things I'm thankful for. Accentuate the positive and all of that.
And we're planning on going to see Tangled today, so that should be fun, right?
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 05:55 am (UTC)If it isn't to difficult to explain, what exactly is a last call? I've never heard the term in that context before.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-12 11:15 am (UTC)There are lots of examples of last calls on YouTube if you do a search on "last call funeral." Each one seems to be a little bit different, varying in the number of times the officer is called, and in what the exact sign-off is.
Here's the article (http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-news/somber-stately-funeral-for-deputy-ends-difficult-sad-week-1048111.html) that mentions it at Suzanne's funeral.
It just really hit me when I read about it.
ETA: In fact, Suzanne's last call (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3Kw_1M_aBU) is on YouTube.