LENEXA, Kan. — Friends, family and law enforcement colleagues paid their respects Sunday to fallen Fairway Police Department Ofc. Jonah Oswald, who was shot Aug. 6 in the line of duty.
“To lose someone — regardless of which side of the state line, which department it is — we all feel the pain,” said Jan Zimmerman, director of the Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment (SAFE).
Zimmerman said it is incredibly difficult to process loss even when the risk comes with the occupation.
“Being able to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for the loss of somebody that you work with, you cant,” Zimmerman said.
Danny Chavez, spokesperson for the Lenexa Police Department, said saying goodbye was "extremely sobering" and was a "reminder of the dangers of this job that sadly took Ofc. Oswald's life."
“You never know what the next call, the next traffic stop is going to bring, and we understand that," Chavez said.
Oswald leaves behind a wife and two children. Zimmerman said through SAFE, the family has been given $25,000.
“We try to show up the first 24-48 hours just so the family doesn’t have to worry about how they are going to pay their bills, how they are going to buy groceries,” Zimmerman said. "No amount of money in the world is going to make up for their lost loved one, you just hope that maybe you are easing some of their burden by providing the money to them so they are not worried about that.”
The 29-year-old officer will be remembered by Zimmerman for the sacrifice he made to keep his community safe.
"I hope the community hopefully remembers there is a widow now and two small children who have lost someone that's very dear to them because that individual stepped up, Jonah stepped up to make sure that his community was safe," Zimmerman said.
Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Monday from the same church as the visitation — Westside Family Church.
While the service is open to the public, there are capacity concerns. Thus, the public is encouraged to live-stream at work or home and/or visit the live-stream off-site location at City Center Church, per Chavez.
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