Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Rest in peace Patrolman Williamson.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

March 21, 2024

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
Matthew 5:9

Marshal Chris Di Gerolamo
Federal Air Marshal Service

March 2, 2016

I knew both Mike and his brother Von. We were childhood freind back in 71. They were good and spiritual freinds. It surprised me that they lost their lives serving their community. Brother in BLUE....

AL L HETZLER
Retired

July 30, 2014

I was just over a year old when my Father passed away. Almost 24 years after he passed, I was hired as a Fire Fighter for the City of Euless. On Wednesday November 28, 2012, the City of Euless and the Police Department held a Memorial Ceremony for my Dad, to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of his death. I was granted the opportunity to say a few words. It was very difficult but I felt compelled to do so. Our City was lucky enough to receive a piece of steel from the debris of the World Trade Centers. A memorial was constructed and along either side of it, are memorial walls. One for Police and one for Fire. His name was engraved on the wall and I hope another name is never added. The ceremony was a great tribute to him. He was honored by many people that love and respect him; friends and family. I wrote this poem and read it at the ceremony.

THERE WAS A MAN SOME NEVER KNEW
A HERO DRESSED IN A UNIFORM OF BLUE
WHO MADE A SUPREME SACRIFICE
ONE, IN WHICH, WOULD CHANGE MY LIFE
HE WAS GIVEN TO US BY GOD’S GOOD GRACE
BUT SADLY LEFT BEFORE I KNEW HIS FACE
AN UNFORTUNATE, UNTIMELY CIRCUMSTANCE
NOW WITH MY SISTERS HE’LL NEVER DANCE
OR TEACH MY BROTHERS AND ENJOY THE FUN
OF SHOWING THEM TO SHOOT A GUN
OR HEAR MY DAUGHTERS TELL HIM THANKS
AFTER ASKING HIM TO FEED THEIR PIGGY BANKS
AND NEVER COME HOME TO HIS WIFE
WHO WAS NO DOUBT, THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE
OR GET THE CHANCE TO CONGRATULATE
HIS GRANDCHILDREN AS THEY GRADUATE
THIS SACRIFICE HE KNOWINGLY TOOK
TO UPHOLD THE LAW BY THE BOOK
SO HERE WE GATHER TO SHOW OUR LOVE
AS HE SMILES DOWN FROM UP ABOVE
HERE WE STAND TO CELEBRATE AND REMEMBER
A FELLOW COLLEAGE, FRIEND, AND FAMILY MEMBER
THOUGH THIS DAY MAY SEEM SAD
WE SMILE AND SAY, WE LOVE YOU DAD
I KNOW THAT IT, WAS NOT GOODBYE
IT WAS NOT THE END, I’LL SEE YOU AGAIN
AND ON THAT FATEFUL DAY, WHEN I FINALLY SEE YOU
I’LL MEET THE MAN I NEVER KNEW.

Thank you to all Law Enforcement members for your selfless service provided to each of the communities you serve. May God bless you and keep you safe.

Chris Williamson

November 30, 2012

Your heroism and service is honored today, the 29th anniversary of your death. Your memory lives and you continue to inspire. Thank you for your service. My cherished son Larry Lasater was a fellow police officer murdered in the line of duty on April 24, 2005 while serving as a Pittsburg, CA police officer.

Rest In Peace

Phyllis Loya
mother of fallen officer Larry Lasater, PPD, eow 4/24/05

November 28, 2011

"The Badge"

He starts his shift each day
To respond to calls unknown.
He drives a marked patrol car.
A police officer he is known.

He's paid by the citizens' taxes
To make it safe on the streets.
But he usually has a second job
'Cause a waitress has his salary beat.

Now he doesn't know a holiday
'Cause he works all year round.
And when Thanksgiving and Christmas finally arrive
At his home he cannot be found.

He's cursed and assaulted often,
The one whos blood runs blue.
He seldom ever gets a thanks,
To some he's just a fool.

His friends are always other cops
'Cause people just don't understand
That underneath his badge and gun,
He's just another man.

He knows there might not be a tomorrow
In this world of drugs and crime.
And he gets so mad at the court system
'Cause the crooks don't get any time.

And each day when he leaves for work,
He prays to God above.
Please bring me home after my shift
So I can see the ones I love.

But tonight he stops a speeding car,
He's alone down this ole' highway.
It's just a little traffic infraction.
He does it everyday.

Well, he walks up to the driver's window,
And his badge is shining bright.
He asked the guy for a driver's license,
When a shot rang through the night.

Yes, the bullet hit its mark,
Striking the officer in the chest.
But the Department's budget didn't buy
Each officer a bullet-proof vest.

So he lay on the ground bleeding.
His blood wasn't blue - His blood was red.
And briefly he thought of his loved ones
'Cause in a moment the officer was dead.

In the news they told the story
Of how this officer had died.
And some who listened cared less,
But those who loved him cried.

Well, they buried him in uniform
With his badge pinned on his chest.
He even had his revolver,
He died doing his best.

Written By:
David L. Bell
Sergeant
Richland County Sheriff's Department
Columbia, South Carolina
Used with Special Permission of the Author
Copyright © 1999 - All Rights Reserved
and may not be duplicated without permission

Investigator David L Bell
Richland County Sheriff's Dept., Columbia, SC

February 6, 2008

You are remembered today and thank you Sir for your service

vandenberghe
manchester, nh

November 28, 2007

This was written about my Father by my Uncle Lt Von Williamson, Cache County Sheriff's Dept, who passed away 4/26/04.

Examples and Funerals
(or maybe just TRIBUTE TO A BROTHER)

As a law enforcement officer, police funerals mean a great deal to me. Each one that I have attended has made me reflect and think that a little piece of me is being buried in that box along with the fallen officer, deputy, or trooper. The first police funeral that I ever attended was that of a young and promising rookie officer who had already been honored by his department for his performance. This man was my brother, Michael Ray Williamson, Sr.
Some of my earliest memories of Mike revolve around fighting with him. Mike was six years older than I am. During the summers, while Mom was at work, Mike was "in charge" at home and took that too seriously, in my opinion. We fought terribly as he would nag me to do my chores. However, Mike was also very quick to come to my defense if anyone else treated me badly.
Mike was very determined. He was the smallest offensive guard and defensive nose tackle I have even seen on a football team. He stood 5'6" if he stretched a bit and probably weighed all of 130-140 lbs. He never quite made the varsity, but there were a lot of football players, many much bigger than him, who respected his tenacity and determination. I know, because I was the manager of the high school football team when he played. I wanted to be just like my big brother, Mike, when I went out for Jr. High football. But I didn't have Mike's drive and determination and was not as successful at it as he was.
Mike had to grow up fast. He married right out of high school and rushed headlong into the responsibility of starting and raising a family. This provided some of my greatest and most precious memories of him. Mike was determined (there's that word again!) to make it on his own. He started a job as a laborer with a construction equipment manufacturing company and continually advanced until he was responsible for all production. The company then moved him to Texas to open the company's operations in that state where he became the sales manager for the entire state. He eventually branched out on his own and, along with our other two older brothers, started their own construction company. I don't know how that all came about, but it was due, in part, to Mike's determination and drive to succeed in anything that he pursued.
I have always marveled at Mike's ability to take one of his children aside who was feeling scared, acting up, or otherwise being a little too rambunctious and, with a few quiet words, comfort the child or gently discipline him or her. Each of these times ended with a hug, a kiss, and, generally, a happy child. I envy Mike that ability and wish that I was able to do a better job with my own children in that regard. As I lived and worked in Texas with Mike and my other brothers during the summer before my mission with the LDS Church, I saw how Mike valued his children. He always had one of them with him. It didn't seem to matter what he was doing. They were involved with their dad.
Mike had a strong faith and testimony in his religion. I never talked to him about how that came to be, but the fact that it existed was never in doubt. His service in church callings and responsibilities was carried out in the same way he lived his life: Always determined to do his best. He never did anything half-way. He never did just enough to get by. He may not have been large in stature, but his spirit was that of a giant, with very few equals.
As I was on my mission, I learned that Mike was getting into the career that I had decided to follow upon my return, that of law enforcement. Once again, Mike provided an example to me of how I wanted to be. Mike and our older brother, Ron, both started out as reserve officers for the Bedford, Texas, Police Department. After a couple of years in that capacity, Mike
tested for, and was hired by, the Euless, Texas, Police Department. During that time period, I became a deputy sheriff in Cache County. Mike was the top graduate of his academy class and received recognition and a large photo in the Fort Worth newspaper. He had a promising career in front of him. As a rookie, he was honored by his department as Officer of the Year, partially due to an incident where Mike became involved in an officer involved shooting while trying to apprehend a violent felon and protect a fellow officer. That career, however, was tragically cut short on November 28, 1982, by a drunk driver while Mike was patrol.
My family and I were flying back to Utah when the accident occurred. We had been in Texas visiting family for Thanksgiving. It was the first time that the entire family had been together for over five years. Other than my mother, who took us to the airport, Mike was the last member of the family that I saw that night. I will forever remember my last words to him as we stopped at the PD to say good-bye, "Keep your head down." Little did I know that I would never have the opportunity to speak to him again in this life.
I returned to Texas a couple of days later, a law enforcement officer representing his agency at the funeral of a brother officer. Except, in this case, the brother officer was more than a brother by way of the badge. He was my blood brother whom I greatly admired and looked up to. I will never forget the respect and kindness shown to our family by my fellow officers in Texas. We received an escort from the home of my other brother, either Ron or Bob, I can't remember which, to the chapel. The neighboring cities of Bedford and Hurst covered Euless' patrol areas and dispatch so that the entire Euless Police Department could attend the funeral of the first officer lost in the line of duty in the city's history. There were hundreds of officers in attendance. The funeral procession to the cemetery had approx. a mile of patrol cars (it seemed that way to me at least). It
was led by 35 pairs of motorcycle officers. In addition, there were other motor officers acting as outriders and stopping all traffic on the road. There were officers stationed at every intersection, stopping traffic and insuring that the motorcade went through without any delay.
The most precious memory of that experience occurred at one such intersection. In one of the oncoming lanes, a Purolator Armored Car Service armored car was stopped. My dealings over the years with armored cars and their guards have taught me that those guys never get out of the truck, except at their scheduled stops. They don't even get out if they are being stopped for speeding by a deputy sheriff. But that was not the case on this occasion. The passenger guard, upon seeing the procession, dismounted and stepped around to the front of the truck. He then saluted the hearse carrying the flag draped coffin containing Mike's earthly remains. To this day, I cannot think of this experience without a tear coming to my eye. These memories proved to me that Mike was loved and respected, even by those
who may not have known him. He was loved by his family and friends. He was respected by his peers. He was honored by the communities he served: the law enforcement community and the community in which he lived and worked.
Mike was not perfect. He had his faults. Earlier in life, I would have been happy to name them all for you, chronologically or alphabetically. But that was before I came to know Mike, the man. He had a temper that was pretty volatile. But he learned to temper and control it. He learned how to overcome shortcomings and improve himself. He learned how to accept responsibility and meet challenges head on. And he learned how to succeed and what was really important in life in 30 short years. When Mike passed from this life, our family was comforted greatly. Many people have asked me how I could so calmly accept my brother's death. My Sheriff sent my sergeant and another older, experienced deputy, with whom I was very close, to my home when I returned from Texas. They came to see how I was doing and determine if I would be allowed to patrol by myself or if I need to be placed with a partner until I could come to grips with my brother's death at the hands of a drunk driver. They were surprised at my perspective on the situation. Mike was called home by his Father in Heaven for a mission that was of greater importance than the wife and six young children he left behind. I cannot imagine what mission could be that important. But I know that it existed.
At the time of Mike's death, my wife, Diane, was pregnant with our son, J.D. I know that Mike and J.D. met and talked in the four months before J.D. came to join us in our home. Every once in a while, a mannerism or trait will surface in J.D. that is pure Mike Williamson. J.D. has the same volatile temper that Mike had. That's why I don't worry about his temper very much because I know that he will learn to temper and control it as Mike did. He also has the same caring compassion and dedicated determination that Mike had. I am proud of him for those traits that I am sure he learned from his uncle in those days prior to his birth.
A portrait of Mike hangs in the lobby of the Euless Police Department. Any time that I go to visit my family, I stop in and see it. It reminds me of the great man that my brother was and the fine example of an officer that I have strived to follow throughout the 20+ years of my law enforcement career.
Police funerals are an impressive sight. They hold an even deeper meaning for me because the first one I attended was that of a brother officer, my big brother.

Tim Williamson

May 3, 2004

I knew Mike between the years of 70-74. I was not surprised to see him go into Law Enforcement. I just come to learn of his death this year, I like to just mention that Mike was a valued friend. I'm sure Mike was a good and faithful servant for his departmant and commuinty.

Respectfully,

Deputy Al L. Hetzler

Kootenia County Sheriff's Dept.

Couer d'Alene, Id

Dep. Hetzler
Kootenai County Sherifff's Dept

Thank you for your service and sacrifice you made. We will remember you always and all others who have paid the ultimate price.

Det. S. Ferrell
Lehi Police Dept. Ut.