Goshen honors fallen officers at Sunday event

May 16—GOSHEN — Sharon Johnson, aunt of former Goshen Police Department Officer Tom Goodwin, was on hand Sunday for a service that was partly in her nephew's memory.

"It was an honor to have him in our family," Johnson said following the event. "He helped many, many people."

Goodwin, who died in the line of duty Dec. 11, 1998, was one of a number of officers honored at the Goshen Police Memorial Day event, which took place at 3 p.m. at GPD headquarters. The event has taken place annually for at least the past 26 years, by one estimate.

Craig Garber, a pastor at Brenneman Memorial Missionary Church in Goshen, is an annual attendee of the event, and also remembers the death of Officer Goodwin.

"It was a very sobering time for us as a church," Garber said, adding that he remembers Goodwin's legacy as well.

Among several speakers at the event was Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman, who shared a story from the previous day when he saw a kids' lemonade stand and texted two GPD officers about it so they could join him in buying some lemonade.

"I'm proud that they do so many things to support and protect us," Stutsman said.

The flag outside GPD headquarters was at half-mast for the event. The GPD Honor Guard also took part, which included a gun salute. In addition to an open prayer from Chaplain Gregg Lanzen, GPD Det. Shane Miller read off the names of the eight line of duty deaths among law enforcement officers in Indiana which took place in 2021.

Along with speaking in memory of her nephew, Johnson also recognized Vincent Ambrose, Elkhart, and Katelyn Tinsley, Goshen, who are both recipients of the 2022-23 scholarship in honor of Officer Goodwin, for students who seek a career in law enforcement or a related field and whose scholarships were just renewed.

Steve Wilson is news editor for The Goshen News. You can reach him at steve.wilson@goshennews.com.