FAIRWAY, Kan. — The one-year mark of the murder of Fairway Police Officer Jonah Oswald is August 7.
Oswald was killed in the line of duty by a man on a crime spree that started in Lenexa and ended with Osawald shot at a Quik Trip in Mission.
It is still hard for the officer's colleagues, community and family.
Oswald left behind a wife, children and mother.
His mother, Paula Oswald, told KSHB 41 in her first interview since his death that she started driving from Branson, Mo., hoping he would still be alive when she got to Kansas City.
"I called friends and just said, 'Start praying, just start praying...create a miracle'".
Oswald said her son was a great piano player.
His career aligned with his willingness to always serve others.
"One of his friends told me the last message exchanged, last July, was congratulating him on getting a promotion," Oswald said. "He said, 'We're going to do great things together.'" "That touched me because he was just getting started."
His mother thought of the risk her son was taking since the day he started as a police officer.
"Everyday, I would wake up and ask the angels to protect him," she said. "Please keep him safe, every moment of every day and it worked for six years. That Sunday, when I got the news, it was like, 'What happened? Why didn't it work?"'
If you drive around Fairway, you'll still see many of the blue ribbons around trees since Oswald's death.
Now, you might also see blue bulbs start to pop up.
The city of Fairway has asked residents to replace their porch lights with blue light bulbs they can pick up at city hall.
The goal is to "Light Fairway Blue" in honor of Oswald.
"That they can keep him in their hearts, in their thoughts, in their memory…It really means a lot," Oswald said. "It's easy to forget. You do want to sometimes forget because it's so painful to remember these tragedies that occur."
When it's a difficult day of grieving her son, Oswald just thinks of his smile that lit up a room and captivated anyone he met.
"His co-workers, police officers, they said there was just something about Jonah that made you want to be with him," she said.
Over the next few months, Fairway will be working on a permanent memorial for Oswald.
Those details are still being worked out.
KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Shawnee and Mission. If you have a story idea to share, send Alyssa an email.
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