‘A storybook love’: Fallen B.C. Mountie’s wife pens emotional tribute

The night before RCMP Const. Rick O’Brien was killed in the line of duty, he was planning an 11-day vacation with the love of his life, a regimental funeral for the fallen officer heard on Wednesday.

That heartbreaking detail came as a part of a letter to O’Brien, written by his widow Nicole Longacre-O’Brien and delivered by family friend Stephanie Porter.

“And here I am instead, sending you off to a different kind of paradise — one that I was never prepared for,” Longacre-O’Brien wrote.

“How do I ever imagine life without you? When our whole life was planned around being together and watching the kids grow up.”

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O’Brien, 51, was fatally shot as police executed a drug search warrant in Coquitlam on Sept. 22. On Wednesday, thousands turned out for a procession and formal funeral in Langley, honouring his service.

A consistent theme among speakers at his service was O’Brien’s dedication to his wife and his blended family. He and his wife each brought three children to their 11-year marriage, and O’Brien was known to jokingly call the family the “Brady Bunch,” his partner Cpl. Pete Westera told assembled mourners.

That love was on full display as Porter read out Longacre-O’Brien’s goodbye, recalling how the couple had fit a “lifetime of adventures” into their 11 years.

“My very favourite thing about you is loving you and the way you love me back, the love we shared will be the one thing I will cherish the most, a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love, a storybook love, a love that we both never knew existed,” she wrote.

“You came into my life when I least expected it. I remember seeing you for the first time. It was those beautiful kind eyes and smile. It didn’t take long to learn what kind of amazing human you were on top of it all.”

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Longacre-O’Brien remembered her husband as a beautiful human with a soothing voice, who penned her songs and poems.

More importantly, she said, he was there for her children, loving them as if they were his own, taking each one under his wing and spending the time to build a personal relationship with them.

“Although it was never easy, I always appreciated that you stuck it out,” she said.

“We shared many conversations about it all being worthwhile, each relationship is different in its own way, and you took the time to build and bond with each one.”

Longacre-O’Brien’s tribute concluded emotional speeches on behalf of both sides of O’Brien’s family.

Earlier, his sister Cindy Neizen roasted her brother for his sarcastic sense of humour and gleeful use of flatulence as “love language.”

“All kidding aside, Rick loved to give hugs. Some of our favourite memories consisted of his great healing hugs, a gift he inherited from our mom,” Neizen said.

She also passed on memories from Rick’s three biological children, recalling how he was always there for school plays, took them to Seahawks games, and once sneezed into his yawning son’s mouth.

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Porter shared messages from Longacre-O’Brien’s children recalling how he could bring anyone to laughter even on a hard day, was always there to help them through tough times and loved to cook delicious meals.

“Rick will be missed as a son-in-law, brother-in-law and uncle who was quick to laugh and even quicker to love,” she read on behalf of the family.

“Rick had a pure soul, a kind, gentle demeanour and enjoyed genuine conversation. Rick will be remembered as probably preferring to be seated at the kid’s table, eating cereal while watching cartoons or his beloved Red Wings.”

The moving speeches came at the end of a procession through the streets of Langley, including a riderless horse with boots placed backwards in the stirrups, symbolizing O’Brien’s last ride.

The event also included an emotional musical tribute, as well as a pair of slideshows of photos prepared by his widow.

Nicholas Bellemare, 25, of Coquitlam is facing multiple charges, including first-degree murder in O’Brien’s death.

He is due back in court on Nov. 7.