LODD: Fallen Deputy Joel Wahlenmaier honored

Hundreds Line the Street for Fallen Deputy’s Funeral Procession

The sunny skies turned somber over northeast Fresno Wednesday.
A giant American flag raised by two fire truck ladders prepared for a hero.
And then he came.
A brief glimpse of the flag–draped coffin carrying the body of fallen Deputy Joel Wahlenmaier passed by onlookers.
"My mood is just sad for the families and the officers and grateful for them also," Carol McDonald said.
"It's cold and windy, but there are people standing up and supporting him," Sandee Higby said.
"Somber would probably be the perfect word," Jon Brothers said.
A retired CAL Fire battalion chief, Jon Brothers and his wife Joanie know this kind of pain.
"It's very emotional. We've been through a lot and a lot of funerals with CAL Fire, makes you remember," Joanie Brothers said as she chocked up.
Sandee Higby is teaching her grandkids about sacrifice.
"It means losing your family member, a daddy. That's what we were talking about earlier; they don't have a daddy coming home because he was protecting them," Higby said.
Thousands of officers from agencies across the state came out.
Some of them knew Wahlenmaier personally, like Fresno City Fire Captain Matt Sullivan, who went to high school with the deputy and then worked with him as firefighters with the Fresno Fire Department.
"It's heartbreaking. You never want to see this even if you don't know them. But when you do, it just drives the stake even farther," Sullivan said.
"It's obvious Joel grew up wanting to serve. That's what he did. He is going to his final resting place serving," Battalion Chief Tim Henry, Fresno Fire Department, said.
And at his final resting place was a final goodbye to the man described as soft–spoken, unwavering and always dependable.
The man who died a hero.
But who lived the same way.
As we mentioned Wahlenmaier was a Fresno City fire fighter before he became a deputy.
He worked for the North Central Fire District for several years before being hired on to the Fresno County Sheriff's Department.

Source:  By: Ashley Ritchie for http://www.kmph.com Article Link