Remembering a daughter’s heroic policeman father, and Pierce County’s other fallen officers

Frannie Lowry was just a baby when her father was killed.

William F. Lowry was one of two Tacoma police officers shot Aug. 28, 1997, when they responded to a domestic argument..

“I was only just 1 year old when my father was taken from me,” she said Wednesday night at the annual Pierce County Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony. “It shook our family.”

Lowry described her life without her father, with no daddy-daughter dances, no fatherly advice and “no one to scare off all the boys.”

Still, she said, when she hears about a hero “it reminds me of my father. He is the greatest one.”

In wake of her father’s absence, Lowry said, she feels lucky to have a big supportive family — the law enforcement community.

“You’re not alone,” she told the families of fallen officers at the ceremony at Clover Park Technical College.

“You’re not alone in your journey, and you are not alone in your grieving. We are all a support system for each other.

“Our loved ones are living with us in our hearts and in our minds,” she said.

About 300 people gathered to honor those who have fallen in the line of duty, with a color guard, prayers and the playing of “Amazing Grace” and “Taps.”

Leaders of each agency that lost an officer read aloud their names to the tolling of a bell.

Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland, the keynote speaker, noted that each day in the United States, 900,000 law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect their communities.

“These women and men serve with distinction and honor,” she said. “But we all know that this protection comes at a high price.”

Addressing the officers’ families, Strickland said, “We want you to know that we honor you, we respect you and we thank you for the dedication, because in many ways, you wear the badge every day as well.”

Tacoma police Officer Loretta Cool called the ceremony a worthwhile opportunity for the public and members of local law enforcement to honor fallen officers.

“These officers sacrificed their lives to perform their jobs for us,” she said. “To take one night of the year to set aside and honor them is in fact a privilege for us.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Remembering a daughter’s heroic policeman father, and Pierce County’s other fallen officers."