'Well done, Rick. We love you': Fallen B.C. RCMP officer remembered at regimental funeral
CTV
Thousands gathered to pay respects to fallen B.C. RCMP Const. Rick O'Brien at a regimental funeral Wednesday, remembering the former teacher for his humour, compassion and dedication to public service.
Thousands gathered to pay respects to fallen B.C. RCMP Const. Rick O'Brien at a regimental funeral Wednesday, remembering the former teacher for his humour, compassion and dedication to public service.
Fellow officers and other first responders travelled from across Canada and the United States to attend the service at the Langley Events Centre, sharing tears and a few moments of laughter as O'Brien's loved ones recalled some of their favourite memories from his life.
The most heartbreaking remarks came from his wife, Nicole Longacre-O'Brien, who thanked her departed husband for being such a warm and welcoming father to the three children she brought to their relationship.
"I always knew you were my gift from the universe – exactly what me and the kids needed," she wrote, in a eulogy delivered by family friend Stephanie Porter.
"I loved loving you."
Longacre-O'Brien also revealed the couple had been planning a romantic getaway before his life was tragically cut short last month, at the age of 51, when he was shot while executing a search warrant in Coquitlam.
"We were jumping on a plane to paradise for 11 days," Longacre-O’Brien wrote. "Here I am instead, sending you off to a different kind of paradise, one that I was never prepared for."
