Community bids farewell to fallen hero

Springfield (WDTN) - Those who knew Deputy Suzanne Hopper best say she did not like being the center of attention. but so many people turned out for her funeral today, it had to be delayed nearly an hour, just to get everyone inside. An overflow crowd of more than 2-thousand people, including Jeremy Blum, the German Twp. officer injured in the New Year's Day shootout... and Deputy Hopper's boss, who remembered her as someone who always went above and beyond... right to the very end.

Law enforcement is a brother and sisterhood... and when one is lost, it is felt by all. You could see it in the faces today of those who wore the uniforms from all across America, and Canada as well. And you could hear it in the words of a poem, written by the owners of an Enon candy shop... about the customer who always called everyone "sweetie."

Following the funeral in Springfield, the 2-mile long procession wound its way to Myers Cemetery near North Hampton, where Deputy Hopper was laid to rest. The ceremony there featured a flyover, a rendition of taps, and a 21 gun salute...as family, friends, and her brothers and sisters in uniform said a final farewell.