Humble Undersheriff Larry Koren loved family, friends and flying

Jul. 30—Colleagues who knew Bernalillo County Undersheriff Larry Koren described him as a loving family man and the best friend a person could have, in addition to being extremely intelligent, hardworking, resourceful, trustworthy, loyal, driven, humble and funny.

Several people took to the podium Friday during a memorial service at the University of New Mexico's Pit for Koren, who died in the line of duty in a helicopter crash on July 16. Also killed in that accident were Lt. Fred Beers III, Rescue Specialist Matthew King and Deputy Michael Levison.

A memorial service was held for Beers on Wednesday; a service will be held for King on Aug. 1, and for Levison on Aug. 3. All were part of an air support unit and helicopter crew that was helping fight a fire in northern New Mexico when the crash occurred.

The area behind the podium was filled with multiple arrangements of colorful flowers and photos of Koren, 55. The memorial began with the playing of bagpipes as a color guard from various law enforcement agencies filed in, accompanying an urn with Koren's cremains.

Images of Koren, his wife Maria, and their sons Justice and Carson, rotated on large monitors mounted high on the arena's walls. There were also images of Koren with airplanes, flying helicopters, riding a motorcycle and interacting with fellow officers.

The memorial concluded outside with a rifle volley salute, a helicopter fly-over, a riderless horse formation and the sounding of "Taps."

Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales told those assembled that he first met Koren at the training Academy when Koren entered as a cadet more than 23 years ago. In addition to having a number of college degrees, Koren, he said, also had a fixed wing pilot's license and an aptitude for all things mechanical.

Gonzales related a story about Koren's days at the Academy that demonstrated his resourcefulness and kindness.

"He was very good with his hands and always willing to help somebody. He learned that one of his classmates had bought a Maglite, but couldn't afford the charger. Larry didn't have to be asked, he went home and made him a charger." And, to this day, that deputy keeps the charger on his desk, Gonzales said.

In addition to being resourceful, Koren was also determined, he said. When obstacles prevented him from completing a project he'd set his mind on, "he was going to find a way to go around you, above you, under you or through you — but he was going to find a way."

Over the years, Koren served in a number of capacities in the Sheriff's Office, including field deputy, crisis negotiator, training officer, tactical flight officer, aircraft mechanic and helicopter rescue pilot.

"Eventually, he became a supervisor, and, ultimately, second in command in the Sheriff's Office — really my right-hand man," Gonzales said.

Jason Williams, a paramedic with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, worked with Koren for a number of years. The two became close friends and developed a program to bolster helicopter rescue capabilities, particularly mountain rescue helicopter techniques. They brought this knowledge to more than 150 professionals, who, "in turn took this cutting-edge knowledge and introduced it into their own rescue agencies," Williams said.

"This past week, I've been contacted by prior students from all over the United States, and from all over the world, expressing their sadness and disbelief. These individuals weren't just expressing generalized sorrow. They were mentioning Larry by name."

The large crowd in attendance at The Pit also felt moved to pay their respects, whether they knew Koren personally or not.

Kathy Duffy, operations director at the State Treasurer's Office, met Koren when she was a marketing director at Alti Mira Family Services. "We had a kite fest every year and our theme was 'everyone deserves a chance to fly,' " she recalled. "We invited the Sheriff's Office to come with their helicopter." Koren, she said, "was a pleasure to work with, very kind and great with the kids. When I called to say 'thank you,' he said, 'Kathy, I can assure you the pleasure is all mine — watching the children and their faces was all worth it.' You could tell he just loved what he did."

David Balderamma had a special reason for coming.

"My son-in-law would have been the EMT taking that tour for that mission, but he was on vacation, so Matthew King took that position for that day," he said. "My son-in-law knows all these people real well because he worked with them. I just wanted to come and pay my respects."

Koren was born in Virginia and has lived in New Mexico since 1970. He graduated from Highland High School and attended a local community college, where he met Maria. They married in 1999.

Koren subsequently earned associate degrees from Eastern New Mexico University and Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute (now CNM), a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from UNM, and a master of criminal justice degree from New Mexico State University. He also graduated from Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command.

Services for the others killed in a helicopter crash

—Rescue Specialist Matthew King, 11:30 a.m., Monday, Aug. 1, Tingley Coliseum.

—Deputy Michael Levison, 10 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 3, The Pit.