KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI – Ryan Proxmire was a hard worker who loved his job with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office, but he always made time for his family.
“What a good son,” his father Mark Proxmire said. “I’m so very proud of him and what he has done.”
Proxmire, 39, was shot during a police chase Aug. 14 and died from his injuries Aug. 15. Deputies were pursuing Vicksburg resident Kyle Goidosik, 35, who was shot and killed by them. Proxmire, who worked for the sheriff’s office for nine years, was posthumously promoted to sergeant.
More than 300 first responders from at least 50 different police, fire and emergency medical departments attended the memorial service on Sunday, Aug. 22. Agencies from the greater Kalamazoo area attended, along with those from Ann Arbor and Bay City.
“I didn’t ever worry about him because I had complete faith in his capabilities,” his wife Roanna Proxmire said. “I knew he would always follow protocol and was diligent.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and numerous state lawmakers presented a tribute in honor of Proxmire, Whitmer’s Chief Legal Counsel Mark Totten said. It will be given to his family after the memorial service.
“We all owe you a debt we can never repay,” Totten said.
Proxmire graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1999. He completed the police academy in 2011 and joined the sheriff’s office in 2012, Sheriff Richard Fuller said.
He and Roanna were married for 15 years, she said. They had four children.
Before joining the sheriff’s office, Proxmire was an over-the-road truck driver with Roanna. The pair would drive across the nation together.
He always knew good characters from bad and would guess the end of a movie, Roanna said. He also had a silly side where he would sing to his dogs while feeding them treats. The couple would always be laughing and having fun, she said.
Proxmire’s death has hardened Mark Proxmire’s heart, he said. But seeing all the community support of people along the procession route Sunday morning, and the support of fellow officers, has helped soften it, he said.
“I don’t want my son’s life to be lost in vain,” Mark Proxmire said. “I don’t want his name to be forgotten.”
His coworkers were his family, and he loved his job, Fuller said.
“Thank you for sharing Ryan with us for the last nine years,” Fuller said. “We’ve been blessed to have him working by our side. He served with dignity, honor and respect that he showed his peers and the community. His actions will leave a lasting impression.”
Proxmire was someone his fellow officers could rely on and he showed great leadership skills, Fuller said.
While at the sheriff’s office, he helped train other officers and filled in as a temporary sergeant when needed. He also loved to run 5Ks and encouraged other officers to join him, Fuller said.
Proxmire was awarded a Purple Heart and a Medal of Valor from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office. The medals are for his courageous actions, Fuller said.
Proxmire could always be relied on for fast backup whenever he was needed, Supervising Sgt. Christopher Hoffman said. He said Proxmire would always arrive with brakes squealing because he was driving fast to be there for his fellow officers.
If Proxmire could talk to his fellow officers, he would tell them to, “Stop milking the s--- out of it and get back to work,” Hoffman said.
Photos of Proxmire in uniform or with fellow officers show the joy he had from his job, the Rev. Thaddeus Stout, pastor of Kalamazoo’s 12th Street Baptist Church, said.
“If there’s a legacy that his life as an officer can leave it would be better protection, better safety and better people,” Stout said.
God is there to help people while they mourn and wipe away tears, Stout said. He said there is hope because loved ones will reunite with Proxmire after death.
A final call for Proxmire came across the police scanner during the memorial service.
“Sgt. Proxmire your legacy will live on through your family and your honor will continue through all of us,” the call said.
The service ended with a 21-gun salute, the playing of Taps and a helicopter flyover.
“He made the ultimate sacrifice in his of duty,” Stout said. “His family is also making an enormous and continuing sacrifice in living on this earth without him.”
Read all articles about Proxmire here.
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