KALAMAZOO, Mich. — After a private family funeral, members of the community remembered the life of Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Sergeant Ryan Proxmire.
Proxmire was shot and killed in the line of duty, as he pursued an armed suspect last weekend.
The memorial was held at Miller Auditorium to a packed audience of friends, family, and law enforcement. An emergency vehicle procession proceeded he memorial.
"Ryan was an exceptional cop," said Sergeant Christopher Hoffman, who worked with Proxmire for years, "He was quick to attach himself to any call, no matter how in-depth or mundane. He was always concerned for his partner’s safety, no matter how dangerous the situation was. I can only hope that someday I will be as good of a cop as Ryan was. And we should all strive for that quality in law enforcement officers that Ryan was."
Proxmire leaves behind a wife and four children. During the memorial, His wife, Roanna Proxmire, spoke about the person her husband was. They were married for 15 years, and started their life together as professional truck drivers.
"Our handles were Psycho Sally, I won’t tell you why. His was Johnny Pacco," said Roanna, "Because while in training, I said 'giant pothole' and he heard me wrong. So, it stuck."
She said Proxmire was a good judge of character, and could always guess the end of a movie. He would sing to his dogs when he fed them treats.
"Home is when we were all together," said Roanna, "And we were always laughing, and teasing, and having fun."
Once he became a deputy, she said Ryan asked her to join him on a ride-along. She told him it was too late at night.
"But the truth is, I wasn’t brave enough to go," said Roanna, "I didn’t want to see what he had to face every night. What all of you had to face every night."
She thanked law enforcement and their families.
Sheriff Richard Fuller said Proxmire was always working to improve himself. He was up for a promotion, and had dreams of becoming a sergeant, and one day a member of the SWAT team. Proxmire was posthumously promoted to Sergeant.
"Just two days ago, I was out front at the memorial of the patrol car that stood outside," said Fuller, "A young couple pulled up and had a child in the back seat. She said 'we just wanted to go over here and show our daughter this memorial of the officer'. I said did, 'you know him?' She said, 'no but we were at the Shell station getting a Subway sandwich that night, and he and his friends made us safe by warning us of the danger."
Proxmire was awarded a Purple Heart and the Medal of Valor.
He had been planning a fishing trip up north with his colleagues on the midnight shift later this year. Hoffman said he loved fishing, and "would always say he wanted to catch big, slimy, stinky, toothy critters."
"We know 113 will always be there to assist us when we’re in need of backup," said Hoffman.
During the memorial, the End of Watch Call was played over a speaker. Proxmire's father, Mark Proxmire, asked fellow law enforcement to not let his son's death be in vain. He asked them to remember his life and name.
The fallen sergeant was honored with the U.S. Honor Flag at the funeral. The flag, owned by nonprofit The Honor Network, has honored EMS workers, police officers, fire fighters and members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The flag is an American flag that has traveled worldwide since 9/11. It has been to Afghanistan, Iraq and into space on a shuttle launch in 2011, according to The Honor Network.
Before the public memorial began, Stadium Drive was full of people showing support for the fallen hero. Hundreds of first responders and law enforcement flashed their lights in solidarity. That's as families lined the streets to say their respects.
"I feel an attachment to him, being a first responder family," said Dale Brewer, who brought his grandchildren to watch their parents in the precession, "Every time they go out on a call, it's the possibility of them not coming back."
Meanwhile, Adam Horton said his three-year-old child will not remember the day in detail, but it was important to teach them to respect police.
"He thinks he's here for the lights and the show," said Horton, "But in reality, those lights and this showing of respect is what truly brings everyone together."
WATCH: Procession of emergency vehicles honors Sgt. Ryan Proxmire
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