Cleveland, Ohio To commemorate the life of a Lorain police officer slain last week, thousands of people gathered at Rocket Arena on Wednesday morning in both grief and gratitude.
The ambiance within the arena was one of reverence, illuminated by alternating blue and white lights. Mourners from all throughout Northeast Ohio trickled in as the speakers played soothing piano and string music.
The jumbotron was filled with a slideshow of Officer Phillip Wagner’s life, reflecting off the club-level seats.
Cleveland’s streets were already burdened with the region’s grief hours before the 11 a.m. service.
The funeral procession, which started in North Ridgeville, Wagner’s hometown, stopped the roads close to the arena. Community members were led to the funeral to bid farewell by lines of police cruisers from numerous agencies that stretched across the Innerbelt bridge, their lights flashing.
In silence, Old Brooklyn’s John Keeney waited at the Cliffs entrance to the arena.
“I was completely disgusted when I heard what happened,” Keeney added. Men and women in the law enforcement community are the ones who patrol the streets and keep us secure as they sleep in their beds at night, thus people should support them.
After years of living in North Ridgeville, where Wagner resided, Rich and Nancy Higgins just relocated to Westlake. They wanted to honor his life because they felt that the tragedy had affected one of their own.
As said by Nancy Higgins, we should always respect, obey, and defend our police. We are here to demonstrate our love and support for all of the men and women who serve in our communities, not just the family. How selfless they are.
The more than 100 members of the Lorain Police Department, Wagner’s family, and Lorain County law enforcement officials were sitting on the floor of the arena. Officers and residents from all throughout Ohio were seated in the stands.
The audience stood up when the music ended. Wagner’s casket, wrapped with a Thin Blue Line banner, was carried into the arena from the rear of a Lorain SWAT vehicle as the Marine Hymn played on the bagpipes and drums. Uniformed officers saluted the stage and stood at attention, followed closely by his wife, Jessica. They were brought in by Officers Brent Payne and Peter Gale, who were both injured in the same attack that murdered Wagner.
The hour-long ceremony combined heartfelt customs with incredibly intimate remembrances, many of which addressed Wagner’s children’s fatherlessness.
While deployed, Wagner prayed for the day he would have a wife and family. According to Pastor Josh Smith of GrowthPoint Church in Amherst, his prayers were granted in the life he created with Jessica and their kids.
Smith stated that you were his greatest achievement above all else.
Wagner’s three children were also addressed by Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley, who was clearly affected.
Your dad was a victor. He claimed to have loved you all unconditionally and to have worked tirelessly every day to make the world a safer place for you. It’s normal to wonder why in situations like these. Why now, why him? But how we honor him is arguably the most compelling question. We live as he lived, we love as he loved, and we serve as he served. That’s the answer.
Near the end of the service, Amazing Grace was played on bagpipes, and then the arena echoed with a voice.
According to the dispatcher, this is Officer Phillip Wagner’s last radio call. Godspeed, gentleman. From here, we have the watch.
Dianne Mahar, a retired New Russia Township police officer who had joined the Wagners at worship services, was among the mourners leaving the arena. She called out the words to Wagner’s children as particularly poignant and characterized the event as overpowering and solemn.
Former first responder Joel Wigley of Sheffield, along with his wife and daughter Aceoyn, 17, were present.
For us, it was an emotional event. Joel stated, “You don’t cry for people you don’t know very often, but you feel this.” You detest witnessing it for his brothers at his side and for his family.
Everyone in this group, including the Dayton guys who have never met Phil, feels that way. The entire community of first responders is like a family.
Aceoyn aspires to be a fireman and wants to work as a first responder herself. She will not let the sorrow and sorrow of the service stop her from pursuing her dream.
It enhances it.
“If anything,” she remarked, “it makes me want to do it more.” The community that emerged today inspires me to stand up for it and defend those who defend us.
