Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Bill,

I can just imagine the celebration in heaven as you greet your mom! Don't worry about Paul and Laurie as we will do our best to take care of them.

Gia

January 31, 2008

"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

January 24, 2008

It has taken me a long time to write this. I really miss working with you!! We had our times but you were Bill & I Loved working with you!! I remember the night before I was to have surgery and you called at 11:30 to tell me you had made a pizza just for me! Best pizza I ever had!!
I'll never forget the night you were taken from us, I was working, & I kept praying that you would be all right!! I know that God knows when our time on earth is over, but how I prayed that it wasn't yours. I know everyone was there as soon as they could be to help you but, I wish I could have done more!!
I cherish my memories working with you & think of you often, as I use the cookbooks & wonderful pans that I was fortunate to be given.
Rest in Peace Bill
Love Lonnie

Lonnie
Dispatcher?Moody County SO

December 29, 2007

Today I decorated the outside of my home for Christmas in all blue lights, one of those lights has been assigned to you and will be lit every night up until New Years as a tribute to you and the hero you are. Continue to keep watch over your loved ones and those still out on patrol. You have not been forgottn.

Bob Gordon
Father of Michael P. Gordon, EOW: 8/8/04

November 25, 2007

Remembering your love of hating the Vikings...

Yesterday, the Vikings lost to the Packers.
Packers: 34
Vikings: 0

CHEERS!

November 12, 2007

Bill,

One thing that I've come to learn and that I often say is, "a lot can happen in a week." I was reminded of that when you died 4 years ago. A LOT happened that week.

I was remembering that on November 4th 2003, I was driving your brother to Flandreau. I was probably a little over the speed limit at times, but we were trying to get there before dark - and to meet your Mom there. We were really worried about her.

We were almost to New Ulm, and I saw the red and blue lights in the rear view mirror. I had that moment where I felt stupid and a little ashamed. I slowed down and pulled over and I was thinking to myself that I didn't want to embarass the family by breaking the law and getting a ticket on the way to you. At the same time, on that day, I was sort of relieved. I was actually happy to see that officer walking toward our car - even with the possibility that I was going to get a ticket. (But I remember being a little concerned about him on the shoulder of the road by our car, too.)

The officer was very kind and polite, and asked me for proof of insurance and my driver's license, etc. He walked back to his patrol car. I remember sitting there wondering if I should mention that we were your family and on our way to Flandreau. I thought, no... it doesn't matter, the law is the law. You'd probably have pulled me over, too.

We waited for the officer to come back. When he did, he told me that he was just going to give me a warning, but that he wanted me to slow down and be careful. Whew. Just a warning.

I thanked him - and I really meant it, but for multiple reasons. Mostly, I was thanking him for doing his job the way you would've done yours, and for being there in uniform with us when we really needed to see an officer in uniform - - even though he didn't know that part of our story at all.

A lot happened this past week, too, but we remembered you. Many remembered you. You are not forgotten.

Laurie

November 8, 2007

Bill,

“Your brother wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”

That’s what an ICE Agent I met on the Police Unity Tour in May said to me. He had asked about you, and your incident, and what happened.

I told him what led up to it, and then said, with some bitterness, “Of course the car missed the suspect completely but hit Bill, even though they were standing right next to each other.”

He looked right at me and said,... “Your brother wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”


I couldn’t believe how true that sentence rang. They were powerful words, and words I had waited years to hear from someone in law enforcement.


Those words have reshaped the way I think about the events of that November 3rd, four years ago today. I know deep in my heart, because of your service in the Navy, and the Army, and 21+ years of law enforcement,....that there were many people you helped along the way that you would have laid down your life for,.....if you had to.


And that is a powerful example.

You were special.


Love you and miss you,

paul

November 3, 2007

“Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love… It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap: God doesn’t fill it, but on the contrary, God keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain…The dearer and richer our memories, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy. The beauties of the past are borne, not as a thorn in the flesh but as a precious gift in themselves.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer


Thank you for sharing some of your precious memories of Bill.

November 3, 2007

Bill,
You live on in the hearts of those who love you and it shows in the caring they extend to others. Your beat has no boundary now.

Ingrid

Ingrid Wyatt
Friend

November 3, 2007

You are remembered today and thank you Sir for your service

Pat Van Den Berghe, Manchester, NH
Neighbors for a Better Manchester, NH

October 31, 2007

Bill -

I thought of you this week. I was driving down the street and found myself behind a small white car. The antenna caught my eye and there on the top was a little antenna ball with the extraterrestrial face on it, just like the one you got for your Mom so that she could find her car in parking lots... (You and your sense of humor!) Because I was behind the car, I couldn't really see who was driving, but I had to try look. No, it wasn't your Mom. The person did not have her profile, and was not tall enough in the driver's seat. Then, I checked the license plate. It was a Minnesota plate and not a South Dakota plate. I had to laugh. Now you had me looking at drivers and checking license plates... Good one. You got me. I could hear you laughing.

I play some of your CDs at home sometimes. It's like having you visit.

Still grateful for all the things you did for us, and for me, and thankful to the Lord for giving me such a super brother-in-law.

Laurie

October 21, 2007

R I P SIR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

Mike, Boston MA

September 23, 2007

Bill,

Can’t help but wonder today, on your birthday, since you’d be retired,.....where would you be?

Would you be in Sioux Falls, spending time with your friends, working a part-time security job?

Would you have won the lottery - like you tried to do every week - and gotten that brand new red Corvette, tossed your computers, guns, and pans in the back seat, and disappeared into the sunset, like you talked about doing?

Or would you have found a way to buy your dream boat, and sail the Caribbean, spending time in Puerto Rico, enjoying life, and forgetting all about the long, lonely winters in South Dakota.

I can’t say where you would be, although we talk about it often.


But I do know where you are.
And that’s the important thing.


paul

March 12, 2007

Bill,
I would like to share a poem I read the other day. It is called His Journeys Just Begun.

Don't think of him as gone away-
his journey's just begun,
life holds so many facets-
this earth is only one.

Just think of him as resting
from the sorrows and the tears
in a place of warmth and comfort
where there are no days and years.
Think how he must be wishing
that we could know today
how nothing but our sadness
can really pass away.

And think of him as living
in the hearts of those he touched...
for nothing loved is ever lost-
and he was loved so much.
E. Brenneman

I know that you were loved so much, and you would be so proud of all that Paul has done to help other survivors.

Happy Birthday Bill!

Gia Nelson

Gia Nelson
Sister of Special Agent Tom Wyatt

March 12, 2007

Bill,

Look at your family and be proud! The hurt is so great, but the love for you is so evident. Your spirit of caring and helping lives on in them.

On your Birthday, we thank you for the gifts you gave.

Ingrid
Friend of the family

Friend of the family

March 12, 2007

Rest In Peace.

D. Paul, Special Agent
FBI

December 22, 2006

Bill,

Another November 3rd, bad memories flooding back, and I'm sitting here looking at your Deputy's jacket - the one you wore when you were killed - and wondering what your thoughts were the last time this jacket was on your body.

You always said, "When it's your time, it's your time." And while it's true that God does set the appointed time for each of us, I think what REALLY bothers survivors is, the basic truth of it, is not that you, or other officers left too soon, but that WE are left to put the pieces of our lives back together.


When I was real little, about 5 or 6, you bought me one of those rubber toy swords, and I used it until I demolished it. After your visit to Spain, (over 30 years ago! is that possible?) you sent me a real sword, from Toledo. Of course I've kept it all these years, and decided to pick it up again this morning. That's when it occured to me that you have given me a third sword.
Through your death, and the changes it has brought about, I am able to help others.

And that is the sword I will always carry with me, as I try to find ways to get done what needs to be done.
Just like you did.


You are in my thoughts nearly every hour. Stay there.


Love,

paul

November 3, 2006

Somewhere along the line into middle age Bill started baking. Then he started making pizza. It was something he obviously enjoyed. He had all the necessary equipment - thin crust pans, deep dish pans, baking stones, cheese graters, cutters... He usually had the ingredients on hand, and he bought the basil, oregano, etc. in bulk.

Of course, once he started sharing his creations and the reviews came back good, he was further inspired.

Then he got a little competitive. In order for it to be truly homemade, you had to make your own crust... from scratch.

Hmmm. I wonder what would've happened if I had counter-challenged him that he had to make his own sauce from scratch?

I can see it now... A giant tomato patch - fully rigged to keep the deer out - his kitchen full of blenders and canning equipment...

I miss you, Bill.

Laurie

November 3, 2006

Deputy Davis, you were (are) a very special man .A man so remembered with love and respect never dies but will truely live on in the hearts and minds of others.You are such a man.May you sleep safe with Our Lord until the time when the chain will link again.G-d Bless.

November 3, 2006

Rest in peace Deputy Sheriff William Paul Davis!!

November 2, 2006

Soon it will be 3 years since your tour of duty ended and I want to leave a reflection to salute you for your long and dedicated service to law enforcement. I know the pain your loved ones feel in their hearts every day and I'm sure not a day has gone by in the past 3 years that they have not thought about you. Your Mother carried you in her arms when you were a baby and now carries you in her heart. Keep watch over your loved ones and protect them and also those still out on patrol. I'd like to leave a poem someone sent me recently but before I do, remember, you will never be forgotten and you are a true hero and heroes hever die.

Poem by Richard Fife:

No person is ever truly alone.
Those who live no more,
Whom we loved,
Echo still within our thoughts,
Our words, our hearts.
And what they did,
And who they were,
Becomes a part of all that we are,
Forever.

Bob Gordon, father of fallen Chicago Officer
Michael P. Gordon, EOW: 8/8/04

Bob Gordon, Gold Star Father

October 2, 2006

Bill, it took me this long to even be able to post this. I can never forget the long South Dakota winter nights learning to play "Commander Keane" at 3:00am as you laughed at me and my "obviously rookie" ways with computer games. Did I annoy you when I worked with you? Probably, but you annoyed me back and we called it even and all was good...I can remember you coming to get me for work once when the cold weather froze up my car and I didn't want to call in sick, you never hesitated to give of yourself.

Even after I moved, I never forgot you and when my brother called to tell me of your death, I was stunned. Rest in peace, my friend and maybe when I get to heaven, I won't be quite such a rookie on the computer games and can take you on!

Chris Finney, former dispatcher

August 19, 2006

Billy Billy Billy, You were a piece of art man. WOW! Doesn't seem to matter how bored or busy we were you were there to keep us hoppin! I worked with you for 8 years and you were one stubborned son of a gun but we always ended up following your lead. I still work the interstate system, just further north now, but whenever we have the snow and ice storms and we have to respond to the accident calls, I stand on the slab and shutter everytime a vehicle goes by as it is a very unconfortable feeling and I am thinking of you. I do miss hearing your laughter and story telling but most of all miss hearing from you or hearing you on the radio. My children were too young at the time but they sure loved that "garlic" food you dropped off occasionaly. We miss you and we will join you someday. David Gibbs used to be 52-1S now 5-1D

Deputy David Gibbs
Codington County Sheriff's Office

July 25, 2006

Bill,

I remembered you on the 4th. I think it was the 4th of July in Flandreau the very first time Paul brought me along to introduce us. As I recall, it was a particularly hot day in SD. It was, as your Mom would say, "hotter than a pistol." (I'd never heard anyone say that in Minnesota.) Good memories...

Laurie

July 10, 2006

Those of us who work these South Dakota highways thank you for your service. I wear the star above my heart with extreme pride because of fellow deputies and officers like yourself.

Deputy Justin Hooper
Mellette County Sheriff's Office

June 15, 2006