TRIBUTE STORIES

Yesterday, Arbor Day, April 20, 2001 Theresa, daughter Nicole (4) and the rest of your family were at the Police Academy for a tree planting ceremony to honor you and two other fallen officers. The ceremony was beautiful, but heartwrenching. We were sorely reminded once more of your loss and of how much we all miss you. It was as if we were attending the funeral ceremony all over again. I think back about how God must have helped you to cram so many good times into the small amount of time you had with Theresa and Nicole and of all of the fun times you had together.

I remember you finding every street carnival in Phila. and taking Nicole and the many times you took her to the arcades, to the circus, to the movies and even bowling even though she was three years old. God even planned for all 14 of us to go to Disney World together for the time of our life so that we would have those fond memories to look back on. Little did I know that when I bought the beautiful glass globe in Disney World with Cinderella and Prince Charming dancing, which reminded me of the two of you, for you were truly Theresa's Prince Charming, that it would hurt so much to play it just a few months later.

Wasn't it funny that Theresa did not go to work the night before God called you and the three of you went out and had such a great time and you got to tell her just how much you loved her and Nicole and then be taken from them the very next day.

I still remember you clicking through all of those channels through all of the commercials on the TV, you were so afraid you were going to miss something. How could I know that you were cramming a life of living into the small time you had left with us.

Going through this has made Theresa a stronger person. You know what a private person she is. She has gone to so many ceremonies and tributes for you and always says how YOU would have loved all of the fanfare and YOU would have enjoyed all of the tributes and she is so sorry that you are not there in person to receive them.

I will pray that we become stronger and go onward with our lives.

We will never forget what happened to you and how you were killed.

But most importantly, we will never forget you.

We will tell Nicole all about you and we have created a library in our home so that Nicole will have rembrances of you. her dad who loved her so, daddy the policeman.

OfficerName: Jose M. Ortiz
OfficerDepartment: Phila Police
City: Philadelphia, PA End of Watch: 9/21/2000

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