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Published on Wednesday, November 24, 2004
in the WCJB TV20 News
But, for one local trooper, the holidays bring a painful reminder of the dangers of the job.
While a lot of people are looking forward to the holidays, Eileen Powell will try to ignore them all together. She'll be busy working and trying to keep her mind off the man she was engaged to marry and whom she served alongside in the Florida Highway Patrol.
Lieutenant Eileen Powell can hardly look at the picture of her late fiance without remembering the day he died.
"He called me Tuesday morning about 8:30 and we had a nice little conversation. I told him I was coming home that night and that was the last time I ever talked to him."
That Tuesday, seven months ago, Eileen's fiance, Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Andy Brown, died when his patrol car slammed into a tree during a high speed chase in Lake City. Andy died just six weeks before he and Eileen were to be married.
After the accident, Eileen built a roadside memorial at the spot where her fiance died. She visits the memorial each day on her way to and from work . But, Monday she was shocked at what she saw when she drove by.
Eileen says, "Sunday night of this week the park bench was stolen and the flowers were all torn up and the cross with his name on it was broken in half...my heart was broken Monday morning when I found this."
She says fixing the memorial is an even bigger reminder she won't be spending the holidays with Andy.
"The highway patrol is what he loved so I'm gonna be out here this weekend working and trying to keep other families from having to go through this same situation."