Saturday, April 29, 2006
The officer's memory was honored through stories that made mourners laugh.
BY JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Friends remembered Sgt. Robert D. Magnuson, 52, as a man who had compassion for people. He was their loyal friend -- a man who taught them much but always made them laugh.
Family, friends and officers from dozens of police departments and agencies gathered at the Old North Church in the township Friday for the funeral of Canfield's assistant police chief.
Magnuson died Sunday in a sky-diving accident in Geauga County.
Magnuson loved life and lived it to the fullest, friends recalled. He was a 28-year veteran of the Canfield department, and his hobbies included sky diving, scuba diving and martial arts. He was a seventh-degree black belt.
Magnuson was someone who could call you at 3 in the morning when he wanted to talk, and he could get away with it because "he was Bob," friends said.
Sgt. Chuck Colucci of Canfield's department said it was during one of those late-night talks that Magnuson made him promise that his funeral would not be a somber occasion.
"He requested uplifting speeches," Colucci said.
Funny times
So friends remembered the funny times, and people in the church laughed as much as they cried.
"I've known Bob for 35 years," said Rich Heavener of Florida. It wasn't hard to come up with a funny story, Heavener said. "It was hard to pick which one."
Fellow sky diver John Carr remembered standing on the ground after a jump, puzzled because onlookers were staring at him with "oh-no" expressions on their faces.
"Then Bob fell on me," he said.
Magnuson's brother, Bill, of the Largo, Fla., police department, said he believes his brother is now trying to teach St. Peter how to run things better at the Pearly Gates: "'I wrote it in a book -- follow this and I think we can make things more efficient.'"
Canfield Detective Sgt. Andy Bodzak remembered a 1980s trip with Magnuson to Galveston, Texas, to pick up a prisoner, where Magnuson promptly bought himself a pair of Bermuda shorts and set about learning to surf.
"He waved at me -- and disappeared," Bodzak said, describing Magnuson's efforts in the water. "He continued to do this until he was stung by a jellyfish."
Compassion recalled
He also remembered Magnuson's compassion. "He gave prisoners money for food or a place to stay."
"He was a hero, a mentor, and my best friend for 20 years," said Steve Rogers, a Canfield council member.
Fellow sky diver Jerry Pritchard said he's been honored to have Magnuson in his life.
"The best thing sky diving gave me was my relationship with Bob," he said. "Now, sky diving has taken him away. We've come full circle."
Friend Bill Welker of Florida said Magnuson was his "best friend and brother."
"Whenever we spoke of death," he'd say, 'It's not bad to die doing the things you love,'" Welker said.
Canfield Police Chief David Blystone talked of Magnuson's loyalty. "If Bob had your back, you were safe."
Friends also pointed out that Magnuson's family -- wife Sandy, daughters Jessi Leidy, Alexa and Carly, and son, Billy, meant everything to him.
In the church foyer, one of the displays highlighting Magnuson's life contained this sentiment in a homemade birthday card:
"Happy birthday, Dad! I hope you have a great birthday. You are such a great dad. You work so hard for us, and we have so much fun with you. Thank you for everything. Happy birthday! Love, Alexa."
At the end of the ceremony, a bagpiper who led the Canfield police force into the church led them out.
Magnuson's pallbearers took him to an honor guard.
Despite the large crowd gathered around, it was quiet and still enough to hear every command as the guard removed the flag draped across his coffin and folded it.
A bugler played taps.
Two lines of police in the parking lot flanked the route his hearse would take away from the church, under an American flag so enormous it had to be held up by two Cardinal Fire District aerial trucks.
"A big flag for a big man," noted the Rev. Brent Allen, pastor of Old North Church.