Officers honored at memorial

Epifania Marquez dabbed her eyes with a tissue after she was handed a plaque for her son Abel, one of the seven officers and deputies killed in the line of duty who were honored Friday morning during a memorial at Sunset Memorial Gardens.

Officers, deputies and family members walked to each of the grave sites and prayed in memory of the fallen officers in one of several ceremonies going on throughout the country for the National Police Memorial Week. The yearly memorial, Odessa Lt. Art Fuentes said, was not only to remember their fallen comrades but also to honor and connect to their loved ones.

"They're part of our family," Fuentes said.

Fuentes and Chaplain Kevin Bushart also hoped to keep the memories alive for those who died many years ago, such as Ector County sheriff deputy Thad West, who was killed in 1958 while investigating a report of a couple attempting to sell a 4-month-old baby.

"Even as the years go by, may we never forget those who have given their lives," Bushart said during his prayer to West.

The Fraternal Order of Police sponsored and helped organize the local memorial in Odessa, Fuentes said. Also among the officers were the Patriot Guard Riders and several city and county officials.

Officers honored at the memorial Friday:

>> Ector County sheriff deputy Thad West, 41. Died Feb. 27, 1958.

>> Odessa police Cpl. Gordon "T.T." Toal, 36. Died April 1, 1982.

>> Odessa police officer Scott Stanton Smith, 25. Died Feb. 6, 1988.

>> Lubbock police officer Rodney Kendricks, 33. Died July 8, 2001.

>> Odessa police Cpl. Arlie "Lee" Jones, 48. Died Sept. 8, 2007.

>> Odessa police Cpl. John Scott Gardner, 30. Died Sept. 8, 2007.

>> Odessa police Cpl. Abel Marquez, 32. Died Sept. 12, 2007.