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KANE COUNTY -- Friday was an emotional day for Kane County residents as they said goodbye to one of their own -- a deputy who was killed in the line of duty last week.
More than 2,000 people packed the gymnasium at Valley High School in Orderville for the funeral of Deputy Brian Harris, 41. Hundreds more watched a video feed of the service from other locations nearby.
Law enforcement agencies from throughout Utah, Arizona and other states were there to support Harris' family. Gov. Gary Herbert and Attorney General Mark Shurtleff were also in attendance.
The family says even though this was a tough day, it was also very rewarding, simply because of the thousands of people who knew Deputy Harris that came to pay their respects.
They always knew he was well-loved in Kane County, but they got a sense of just how many lives he touched.
Even though there were a lot of tears and emotions, there was also some laughter. Harris' family shared stories about how fun-loving he was. They told of how he was a tough teenager, illustrated by the story of how he and a high school friend tried to throw a skunk on the principal's lawn. It got stuck in the bushes.
"That's how I'll remember Brian," said, Bert Harris, Brian's brother. "He was fun-loving. He was full of adventure."
But Harris grew to become a fantastic man, husband and father. Those who loved him shared his thoughts on his serving our country during Operation Desert Storm, and how he came back and wanted to be a deputy.
After the funeral, law enforcement lined the road to follow him to the cemetery, where those he touched said a final goodbye. Harris was buried in Glendale, the town he lived in with his wife and two daughters.
"Very difficult, but yet very rewarding in a way," said Bert Harris. "It's kind of nice to really see how many people's lives Brian had affected."
Jason Winter knew the Harris family and came to support them. "Any time you lose someone in the line of duty it really does break your heart," he said. "It doesn't happen that often, but once is more than enough."
Harris was shot to death while chasing a burglary suspect last Thursday. That suspect, Scott Curley, is waiting to be moved to Arizona where he will face murder charges.
Earlier this year, Deputy Harris went to Deputy Josie Greathouse Fox's funeral in Millard County, then Sgt. Franco Aguilar's funeral in Sevier County. Family members say Harris felt like he needed to be present to support those families.
Now, residents of those same counties and many others came to support his.
"We just do what we can to offer support to them and the community," said Chief Max Jackson of the Harrisville Police Department.
Harris, who loved being a Kane County deputy, was one-of-a-kind, says Kane County Sheriff Lamont Smith. It seemed like whenever someone in the county needed help, Harris was already on his way to them.
"There wasn't anything that would make him take a step backwards," Smith said. "He is a leader. That's going to be hard to replace."
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
