'An honorable public servant.' Family and friends remember Washington state trooper Christopher Gadd

Washington State Patrol Trooper Christopher Gadd has been laid to rest following a memorial service Tuesday in Everett.

Gadd, 27, was killed after his patrol vehicle was struck by a motorist along southbound I-5 in Marysville in the early morning hours of March 2.

“Today is about honoring and remembering a loving husband, a devoted father, a cherished son, a loyal big brother, and honorable and decent public servant,” said Washington State Patrol Captain Ron Mead as he led the ceremony.

The remembrance began in Tulalip, where Gadd’s family, friends, and Washington State Patrol colleagues started a procession, and ended with a memorial service at Everett’s Angel of the Winds Arena. Gov. Jay Inslee was also in attendance.

Bagpipers played songs, including “Amazing Grace,” which echoed through the arena. According to Puyallup Police Department Captain Ryan Portmann, “Bagpipes have been part of law enforcement and fire service funerals since the mid-1800s when Irish immigrants began arriving in the United States.” Portmann is a member of the Behind the Badge Line of Duty Death Response Team, which assists law enforcement agencies with navigating the loss of an officer.

Gadd’s supervisor Sergeant Anthony Califano also spoke at the memorial service. He said Gadd was determined to make highways safer for motorists.

“Chris had the ability to talk to anyone in any given situation. He had a way with his words that put people at ease, even on the worst days of their lives.,” Califano said.

“Taps,” a call to acknowledge fallen servicemembers, was played by a bugler in the stands.

It’s “a military tradition that started during the Civil War,” Portmann said. “When played, ‘Taps’ represents the end of the day or battle. Today, it signifies the end of the officer’s watch.” To close the ceremony, six troopers folded the American flag draped over Gadd’s coffin and gave it to his widow. A last radio call with Gadd’s badge number was played for the crowd, signifying the end of his service.

Portmann said more than 100 honor guard members from all over the country participated in the ceremony.

Gadd served just 2.5 years with the Washington State Patrol, according to a statement from the agency, Gadd was from Pasco, Wash. and graduated from Kentlake High School in Kent, Wash., before attending Green River College and Tacoma Community College, where he earned an Emergency Medical Technicians certification.

Gadd is survived by his wife, Cammryn, daughter Kaelyn, his father David (also a state trooper), mother Gillian, and his sister, Jacqueline, who is a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Gadd is the 33rd Washington State Patrol trooper to die in the line of duty in the agency’s 103 years of service.