Pall bearers carry the casket of Bluffton Police Department Officer Dominic Francis to a nearby firetruck during his funeral services Friday, April 8, 2022, in Bluffton, Ohio. Emily McBride | The Lima News
The funeral of fallen Bluffton Police officer Dominic Francis was held in the Bluffton University Sommer Center on April 8.
Thousands of people attended the service. Police officers and other first responders from across the state and country filled the stands to remember Francis.
Hundreds of law enforcement personnel attended the funeral for Bluffton Police Department Officer Dominic Francis on Friday, April 8, 2022. Francis died in the line of duty during a chase on Thursday, March 31, 2022. Emily McBride | The Lima News
Francis was killed on March 31 during a high-speed pursuit on I-75, as he was placing stop-sticks to stop the suspects. The pursuit caused the campus to lock down the same day.
Francis was remembered as a father, husband, teacher, coach, school bus driver and first-responder.
He had been on campus the night of his death, according to Robin Bowlus, the Vice President of Advancement and Enrollment Management. He attended to a fire alarm in Neufeld Hall and held the door open for students, joking with them as they walked inside the building after it was cleared.
“We want to give back to the Bluffton Police Department the way they gave back to us,” Bowlus said at a press conference.
Francis went on ride-alongs with criminal justice and social work majors and frequented university football games as event support. The Bluffton Police Department is used as security for many campus events.
The service was led by pastor Eric Ferguson of Movement Church in Findlay. He spoke of Francis as a peacemaker, referring to how the community spoke of him.
“His life was cut too short, but that does not mean his life was incomplete,” said Ferguson.
Ryan Burkholder, Bluffton’s police chief, posthumously awarded Francis the two highest awards achievable—the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart.
“Driven,” Burkholder said to describe Francis. “He was self-driven, with focus to complete any and all missions.”
Ohio Attorney General David Yost met Francis in 2019 when he was given the Top Cop Award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
“His last act was heroic, but that was not what made him a hero,” said Yost. “He was already a hero. He was a hero for every day of the 11 years he worked at Bluffton Police Department, and before that the Hancock Sheriff’s Office and the Findlay Police Department.”
After the service, Bluffton students lined up outside of Sommer Center to pay their respects to Francis before the funeral procession through Cory-Rawson Local Schools, ending at Clymer Cemetery in Mt. Cory.
“It is going to be a great loss to this community, law enforcement and students,” said Allen County Sheriff Matthew Treglia.
Special thanks to Tricia Bell with the Bluffton University Public Relations office for her help facilitating photography provided and used with permission by The Lima News.
