Not long after they got married in the early 1990s, Sharon Kelly-North and her new husband, David North, were invited to Sharon s grandmother s tidy brick home in Seattle.
Mattie Lyle was almost in her 90s by then and likely inspired by a photo slideshow the newlyweds had recently put together she enlisted them to help her go through a hat box filled with old photographs of her own.
After being a hobbyist photographer for most of her life, Mattie had stacks of old snapshots to sort through black-and-white remnants of a life well-lived.
Somewhere in the box, there was a photo that showed Mattie and her late husband, William Lyle, in the 1930s or 1940s back when they lived in Fort Collins, Colorado gathered with friends during a visit to Denver.
May 7, 2021
Have you ever heard of Gordon William Best, Daniel Marcus Mobley, Jeff Bain, Nicholas Howell or Randall Sims?
No?
Perhaps Steven Reighard, Arturo Villegas, Luis X. Salaman-Conde or maybe Adam Gibson?
Thought so.
The names have stories. The aforementioned along with 105 others comprise a very special group: 2021 Honor Roll of Heroes. What they had in common was that they were notice past tense public servants, members of law enforcement now comprising the total line of duty deaths in the United States through April.
There is an organization which created an “Officer Down Page.” Have you ever heard of it? No? Thought so. Its motto: “Remembering All Law Enforcement Heroes.” The group diligently maintains a valuable resource where anyone can go to be informed and, of course, be humbled. It is especially important during these current turbulent times that our officers get the respect and positive exposure they deserve.