Hundreds of law enforcement members and the public joined the family of RCMP Const. Francis (Frank) Deschênes on Wednesday at a full regimental funeral to honour the Mountie, who was killed in a collision last week near Memramcook, N.B.
Uniformed law enforcement officers led the procession to the service at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Moncton where New Brunswick’s premier Brian Gallant and Nova Scotia attorney general Mark Furey were in attendance.
“The most important thing to Frank was to be there: to be the one that helps people that need help, to be the one that can turn a negative to a positive for complete strangers,” said close friend Dave Connors, who delivered the eulogy.
“We lost Const. Francis Deschênes doing exactly that: helping someone that needed help.”
Deschênes was killed on Sept. 12 when a van collided with his police car after he had stopped to help motorists change a tire on the side of a New Brunswick highway.
The 12-year veteran of the force was on duty with Northwest Traffic Services, based in Amherst, N.S., when the collision happened
In his eulogy, Connors spoke of Deschênes’ strong commitment to his job as a police officer.
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“Frank absolutely loved his job and it showed every time he put on his uniform. All Frankie wanted to do was make sure all his brothers and sisters were safe, make sure all members of any police force were safe, not just his RCMP family,” he said.
“And of course with Frank, catching the bad guys. That’s Number 1.”
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Deschênes held several roles with the RCMP; he was posted to the Stewiacke and Bible Hill detachments, a member of the RCMP Musical Ride and a traffic reconstructionist with Traffic Services.
The 35-year-old had also just gotten married earlier this year.
“You were his world, his rock. You made him the happiest man when he got to make you his wife,” Connors said, while addressing Deschênes’ wife, Savannah.
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