Dear editor:
Last Monday, I went to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Commissioners Auditorium to accept a posthumous award for my husband Larry, who had served for nearly eight years as Public Safety Aid for the OCSO substation in Ortonville.
Larry, who died earlier this year from cancer, would have been overwhelmed by the warmth and goodwill in that auditorium. He was such an advocate of community in general, and Brandon in particular, and would want people to know how meaningful the ceremonies were, and how quintessential to the very definition of community. He would want to tell Bill Christensen that his ‘Taps? and his ‘Amazing Grace,? played on the bagpipes at the close of the ceremony, moved us all greatly; that we were so impressed, my family, my friends, and I, by the way in which Master of Ceremonies Huel Perkins of Fox 2 News handled the long lists of names, taking care not to rush through them, delivering each name and achievement with heart and, when the moment called for it, humor.
And Larry would want to congratulate Sheriff Bouchard and his staff on the clockwork efficiency and attention to detail’so much care in evidence there, so much regard for the people being honored, and so many good folk working hard beforehand and during to make the event memorable.
He would want to say to the person and/or persons who were responsible for writing the text for each award, that each word seemed specially chosen, and reflected the unique spirit of the person being honored.
He would want to thank Brandon’s own Ron Lapp for coming to the podium to stand with our son Adam and me as we accepted the award for him. He would want to thank Pete, and Chris, and Jimmy, and Mike, and Tim, and Arnie, and so many others with whom he worked, for being his friends.
He would want to say to all who honored him last Monday, and to all who were themselves honored: well done.
Rebecca Roberts