It's been more than two years since Ingham County Sheriff's deputy Grant Whitaker was killed in the line of duty.
At the sheriff’s office Thursday, family and police from agencies across Mid-Michigan gathered to honor Whitaker on “Grant Whitaker Day,” designated by Sheriff Wriggsworth.
“He was a small town guy, big heart, and loved to have a good time,” said Deputy Rick Hoeksema, Whitaker’s partner.
Whitaker was killed in December 2014 after hitting a tree during a high speed chase in his patrol car.
It's a night Hoeksema remembers all too well.
“He and I were talking at the Marathon gas gas station in Stockbridge, right at the corner of M-52 and Morton road,” said Hoeksema. “A vehicle went by us and I took off after it, I looked at Grant and said lets go and he said okay.”
A special Grant Whitaker flag was raised in Thursday's ceremony. It’s one of many ways the deputy is being remembered. A training room at the department is named in Whitaker's honor.
“There has been a group of us that have been riding bicycles for the police unity tour and we do that in memory of Grant,” said Hoeksema.
It’s not just this year that the deputy is being remembered. The sheriff calling April 27th and the many years to come “Grant Whitaker Day” as well.
The Whitaker family watched on as their son's flag was raised high above the building. To this day, the loss of their son hasn't gotten any easier.
“It's always a part of everyday that you live,” said Mary Whitaker, Grant’s mother. “It's always there but we're also so incredibly proud of him and who he was as a human being and as a deputy.”
April 27th may Mark Whitaker's first day on the job, but it’s a job he never really quit.
“He is in the hearts of all the men and women here just as much as he is biological family,” said Whitaker.
The department held a luncheon following Thursday morning's ceremony.
Whitaker's family says the sheriff's office has given them strength and a whole new family.
