BOULDER, Colo. — A memorial procession and service were held for Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley on Tuesday, roughly one week after he and nine others were killed by a gunman at a Colorado grocery store.
“There’s a lot of emotion involved in these — these particularly hit close to home with all of us,” said Amanda Lawrence, who works for Unified Fire Authority and flight nurse in the Salt Lake City area.
Lawrence and her colleague, UFA Captain Sam Christensen, were in Boulder on Tuesday for the ceremony.
“These people put their lives on the line every day for us, and we do too, you know. It’s a risk we are aware of and when it actually happens, it always kind of jolts us," she said.
Lawrence and Christensen participated in the funeral ceremony as members of the Pipe and Drum group that escorted Officer Talley into the church. Both are members of the Utah Firefighters Emerald Society, a non-profit 501-C organization that honors the lives and sacrifices of first responders and military members.
“It’s kind of like the last thing that we can do to really honor them and to help make sure that their final goodbye is not ever forgotten, and it helps to give them a legacy to live on with,” said Lawrence, who has been a part of the Emerald Society for about six years.
“For me, this is my way of saying thank you to the people who laid the foundation for the fire service in the United States,” said Capt. Christensen, who is one of the founding members of the Emeralds Society in Utah.
In addition to the UFES representation, members of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office Motor Crew and Ogden Police participated in the funeral procession from Thornton to Lafayette. Price Fire Chief Fitzgerald Petersen was also in attendance at the ceremony.
