A procession of law enforcement vehicles made their way through parts of Whatcom County Monday morning, Jan. 21, en route to Bellingham to honor Everson Police Chief Erik Ramstead, who died last week.
Despite the below-freezing temperatures and heavy fog, people lined up to watch the procession and honor Ramstead. The cars gathered at Nooksack Valley High School before 8 a.m. and went through Everson and Nooksack before arriving in Bellingham about 9:15 a.m.
About 100 people lined the streets in Nooksack as the procession went by. In Everson, the crowd was about double that size.
Several businesses in Everson have signs in their windows thanking Ramstead and noting he'll be missed.
Ramstead, 50, died Tuesday, Jan. 15, after a battle with cancer. Though diagnosed in 2008, he kept working as chief until close to the end of his life.
Ramstead served in the Everson Police Department for 28 years, all but three of them as chief. He was one of the longest serving police chiefs in the state.
He was known as much, if not more, for his work in the community, whether that was helping students or seniors.
The procession ended at Assumption Catholic Church in Bellingham, where Ramstead's memorial Mass will start 10:30 a.m.
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