MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Memorial service being held in Everett for WSP trooper

Jun 6, 2013, 9:12 AM | Updated: 3:28 pm

The flag is folded at the end of a ceremony honoring fallen Trooper Sean O'Connell. Former Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick told O'Connell's children, "Your dad was the nicest man to ever walk the face of this earth ... he loved you so much." Troopers at Comcast Arena in Everett before a memorial service to honor fallen Trooper Sean O'Connell.

Some troopers are wearing O'Connell's badge number 1076 on their arms. The casket of Trooper Sean O'Connell is moved into Comcast Arena for a memorial to honor his life. He was killed while on duty last Friday. Washington State Troopers gather inside Comcast Arena to honor their fallen friend, Trooper Sean O'Connell who was killed last week near the Skagit River Bridge. Bagpipers play outside Comcast Arena in Everett prior to the memorial service for Washington State Patrol Trooper Sean O'Connell. An officer stands at attention outside Comcast Arena in Everett prior to the memorial service for Washington State Patrol Trooper Sean O'Connell. 

Memorial service program reads: "Sean was everything the rest of us try to be, whether at home or at work... We are committed to honoring our fallen son, brother, husband and father by trying to live up to the exemplary standard he set." A crowd waits outside Comcast Arena for a procession to arrive on Thursday morning. A public memorial honors Trooper Sean O'Connell who was killed near the Skagit River Bridge. Motorcycles in a procession to honor trooper Sean O'Connell arrive at the Comcast Arena in Everett on Thursday. A flag hangs above an Everett street as troopers await a procession to honor Trooper Sean O'Connell. Fire trucks staged near the Comcast Arena in Everett to honor fallen trooper Sean O'Connell. As a procession to honor Trooper Sean O'Connell arrives in Everett, drivers in the northbound lanes moved to the shoulder to watch. Onlookers gather to watch the procession prior to the memorial service for Washington State Patrol Trooper Sean O'Connell. A motorcade drives along I-5 prior to the memorial service for Washington State Patrol Trooper Sean O'Connell. The 16-year patrol veteran died in a collision with a truck while directing traffic detoured around the collapsed Interstate 5 Skagit River bridge.  Hundreds of police staged at a rest stop in Smokey Point prior to a memorial service Thursday at Comcast Arena.  Hundreds of cars with the DEA, Canadian Mounties, Idaho State Patrol and other agencies joined together Thursday morning for a procession prior to the memorial service for Washington State Patrol Trooper Sean O'Connell. The 16-year patrol veteran died in a collision with a truck while directing traffic detoured around the collapsed Interstate 5 Skagit River bridge last Friday night.

A procession of hundreds of police cars traveled down Interstate 5 from the Smokey Point rest area to the public memorial service at Comcast Arena in Everett for Washington State Patrol Trooper Sean O’Connell.

The 16-year patrol veteran died in a collision with a truck while directing traffic detoured around the collapsed Interstate 5 Skagit River bridge.

The procession to Comcast Arena in Everett began at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Smokey Point rest area near 188th St. The public memorial service begins at 1 p.m. in Everett.

O’Connell’s brother Francis will speak at the memorial. He tells KING 5 his brother was much more than a Washington State Patrol Trooper.

“He was very personable, very engaging, very compassionate, loved to talk to people. His greatest strength was being able to open up a conversation with somebody who was a complete stranger and connecting with them.”

KIRO Radio’s Brandi Kruse will be reporting live from Comcast Arena in Everett. Check back here and listen to KIRO Radio for updates.

For those that would like to honor O’Connell’s memory with a monetary donation, his family suggests donations to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or the Washington State Patrol Memorial Foundation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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