BLUFFTON, Ohio — 1:05 p.m.: The procession, including police vehicles from many local department, has reached Clymer Cemetery in Mt. Cory, where Officer Dominic Francis will be laid to rest in a private ceremony.
12:40 p.m.: Instead of a traditional hearse, the procession will be led by an ambulance in honor of Officer Dominic Francis's service as an EMT.
Vehicles will now make their way through Bluffton on the profession route.
12 p.m.: The funeral service is ending and attendees are leaving the Sommer Center to begin the procession to Clymer Cemetery.
The procession is expected to leave campus at 12:30 p.m.. The public is welcome to pay respects along the procession's route.
11:40 a.m.: Pastor Eric Ferguson says that we all can judge our lives by asking ourselves what we want people to say about us at our funeral. Consider that people have come today to say that Officer Dominic Francis was loyal, hardworking, incredible, and more.
"But one word is the reason we are here today... and it's this one word, 'Love."
Jesus called on us to love each other as he loves us, Pastor Ferguson said.
"Greater love has no man than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends."
"Dom always stepped in and did what is needed and that is what love is."
11:30 a.m.: Fellow officers Amanda and Thomas Miller, who were close friends of Officer Francis.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, they are the sons of God," said Amanda Miller.
She met Francis when she was 16 and joined the Hancock County Sheriff's Office Explorer post and he had a big impact on her life.
"I hope I edify what Dominic is," she said. "He was driven, he was full of energy, and as you've already heard, he was full of service."
Service was as natural as breathing to Officer Francis, she said.
11:25 a.m.: Bluffton Police Chief Ryan Burkholder
"He carried the weight of the badge to the fullest extent," the chief said. "He loved his job."
He remembered Officer Francis as loyal, hard working, compassionate and professional.
"I miss him coming into the office every morning, saying 'Hey, boss."
Officer Francis always had a new gadget he wanted the department to buy, Chief Burkholder said. Francis himself was like the most useful gadget, the chief said -- capable and versatile and always ready.
"He was a fixer and always willing to get his hands dirty," Burkholder said.
11:15 a.m.: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost pays respects to Officer Francis.
"I met Dom in 2019, actually," Yost said. "I met him for his exemplary service. He was being honored for keeping our streets safe from drunk drivers... I remember him with great affection."
"Every single day he reported to duty he accepted the same risk, never knowing if it would be his last."
10:50 a.m.: Watch the service for Officer Dominic Francis live on air or online here.
10:45 a.m.: Guests are gathering in the Sommer Center on the campus of Bluffton University for the 11 a.m. funeral for Officer Dominic Francis, who was killed while attempting to stop a speeding car that was fleeing authorities along I-75 on March 31.
About 5,000 attendees are expected at the service, including law enforcement officers from around the state and region.
You can watch the service live on air and online with WTOL 11.
