A giant American flag flew from the tops of fire trucks with ladders extended high in the air, and police motorcycles waited in long lines. Police and emergency vehicles filled the parking lot with lights flashing, all waiting for the procession after the ceremony.
Lower School students in Pre-K through Fourth grade lined the sidewalk waving flags outside the memorial for fallen Little Elm Police Officer, Detective Jerry Walker, whose funeral took place at Prestonwood Baptist Church.
They joined crowds of people that lined the route holding signs of support and waving flags to show their respect.
Kindergarten student Kinsey Reiter said, “He died, and we were standing there holding a flag, and Mrs. Pryor told us to put our hand over our heart.”
The students gathered in honor and did their best to give the somber atmosphere a little bit of joy.
Fourth grade student Meghan Buss said, “While we put our hands over our heart, we smiled at everyone walking past us to try and make them happy because someone they knew and loved had just passed away.”
Participating in the memorial in their humble way taught the children an important lesson about honoring the people who die fighting to protect them. Fourth grade student Ava Grace Harbison said, “We honored him because he fought for our country, and we honored that his life helped our life.”
“We saw all the police officers’ cars lined up with all the lights on. They were leaving, the families were leaving, and the big flag was waving,” said Ava Grace.
The funeral marked the third time in the past year that Prestonwood has hosted the funeral of an area police officer.
