Cheering, Clapping Part Of Show Of Support For Trooper Donahue's Family
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - There was a huge show of support in Colorado on Friday as the funeral for Trooper Cody Donahue of the Colorado State Patrol was held.
Donahue died a week ago after getting hit by a commercial truck on Interstate 25 near Castle Rock while on duty and inspecting a crash scene on foot.
The funeral was held at Denver First Church of the Nazarene in Englewood.
The first person to speak in the service was Donahue's sister Erin Donahue-Paynter. She said her brother wouldn't "dig all of the sadness" so she urged everyone to clap and cheer as loud as they could to show his two little girls all the love inside the room.
C-470 and Highway 285 were shut down for the funeral procession in the morning, which led Donahue's body to the church. More than 300 law enforcement personnel took part.
Representatives from agencies from across the state and neighboring states attended the service.
Donahue was with the Colorado State Patrol for 11 years and leaves behind a wife and his two young daughters. The family released a statement on Thursday, saying "two little girls are going to grow up without their Daddy and there's just no good reason."
During the service, Donahue-Paynter said there is one thing she wants everyone to remember about her brother.
"What I want you to remember most is that he protected and took care of his family above all else," she said. "And all of you here today, you are family. This St. Patrick's Day, please remember him and toast, not to this loss, but to his life."
In the Donahue family's statement they also issued a plea to drivers to slow down and pull over anytime they see first responders on the side of the road.
Noe Gamez-Ruiz, the driver charged with striking Donahue, remained at the scene of the crash. He faces misdemeanors of careless driving resulting in death and failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.
Watch the complete funeral in the video clip below:
