MIAMI COUNTY — The widow of a deputy killed in the line of duty almost 40 years ago joined law enforcement officers Wednesday to remember and honor fallen officers.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, dozens of law enforcement officers gathered in Troy Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the lives of fallen officers at the Miami County Law Enforcement Memorial Day ceremony.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Former bus driver accused of inappropriate relationships with current, former students
- The REAL ID deadline is today! Here’s what you need to know
- Ohio 9-year-old’s accidental shopping spree turns into gift for animals in need
Family members came to leave flowers at the fallen officers’ statue.
Some families have been doing that for decades.
Tammie Elliott-Gehle is the widow of Miami County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Robert Elliott, who was killed by a prisoner in 1987. They had been married for six and a half years and shared three young children when he passed.
“Everyone called him Bobby. All his family and friends did,” Elliott-Gehle said.
Elliott-Gehle said her late husband was a caring officer and even the prisoners thought so.
“I had gotten a letter from the prisoners; in jail they’re called trustees. And these guys wrote me a letter saying, ‘Please don’t compare us to the guy that killed Bobby. Because he was the nicest guy, we liked him a lot. He treated us like human beings, which isn’t what everyone did,’” Elliott-Gehle said.
The memorial keeps the fallen heroes’ spirits alive, but it also serves as a reminder to young officers just how much they have at stake when they put on their uniform each day.
“A lot of the young guys coming up, have never experienced a line of duty death. So, this is a way to show them what is happening,” Elliott-Gehle said.
The fallen heroes honored at Wednesday’s ceremony left a lasting impact on their loved ones. Elliott-Gehle said her husband greatly inspired their son.
“From the time he was three and a half years old, even before that, he said he wanted to be a deputy sheriff just like dad,” Elliott-Gehle said.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
