Hundreds attended the dedication ceremony of a Saint John Park on Sunday, named in honour of Constable Douglas Larche.
Larche, along with Constables Dave Ross and Fabrice Gevaudan were killed June 4th in Moncton.
It was a tragedy that brought the community together, in shock and in mourning, but Sunday’s event was about paying tribute.
Larche’s widow, Nadine, says she has fond memories of time spent outside with her family.
“He did love to play in the park, just as much as they did,” she says while addressing the crowd. “The girls and I remember daddy playing on the monkey bars, sliding down the slide, and seeing how high he could push them on the swings, a little higher than I liked it. It was important for him that our girls grow up being active and connected to nature.
Larche’s parents say their son touched a lot of lives.
“It’s an honour to Doug, and an honour to us to know that we have raised a son that commanded such respect in all the communities he worked in and lived it,” says Larche’s father, Dan. “It’s just an honour.”
“He just seems to have left his mark with everyone that he has touched,” adds his mother, Beth. “He was just that kind of a person.”
Those feelings are also shared among his former colleagues.
“Coadic, if I was to describe in one word,” says Chief Superintendent Wayne Gallant of the New Brunswick RCMP. “It is a family, it is a big family, and there is lots of evidence that you have seen of that since the tragic events of June 4th.”
Saint John Mayor, Mel Norton, says the plaque and benches installed at the park, will keep the memory of Constable Larche alive.
“This park is to serve as a permanent reminder of the life and service of Douglas Larche and his fellow officers,” explains Mayor Norton.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s David Bell.
