Police, friends from across Utah gather to honor Sgt. Franco Aguilar

RICHFIELD — Everyone considered Sevier County Sheriff's Sgt. Franco Aguilar their best friend.

During funeral services Wednesday for the decorated deputy who was killed in the line of duty, the stories from co-workers and community members about Aguilar's infectious personality and smile were nonstop.

"Everybody loved Franco. He was just one of those guys I wish I could be like," said Sevier County Commissioner Gary Mason.

Aguilar, 36, was killed April 29 while assisting a motorist who had crashed on the icy Fish Creek Bridge along I-70, about 11 miles east of I-15. While talking to the female driver, who was still sitting in her car, another vehicle driven by an 18-year-old man slid out of control into the first vehicle, tossing Aguilar over the bridge. He fell more than 100 feet to his death.

He is the first Utah Latino officer to be killed in the line of duty, according to the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial.

At his funeral service Wednesday in Richfield, officers from across the state gathered at the Sevier Valley Center to pay their final respects.

"He was one of the finest officers I ever worked with," said Sevier County sheriff's chief deputy John Hunt. "Franco was invaluable to our department."

Aguilar always used caution in everything he did, Hunt said. "I know the night of the accident he did everything he could to make that scene safe."

To Sevier County Sheriff Phil Barney, Aguilar was like a son. He had "exemplary integrity," was an outstanding officer, fun-loving and not above pulling a practical joke, Barney said.

The sheriff promised Wednesday that from now on, his office would be expected to follow the "Franco standard of excellence."

"We will serve above and beyond the call of duty and with enthusiasm, like he did," he said.

The Catholic funeral Mass was conducted by the Rev. James Blaine, pastor of St. Peter Parish in American Fork. As Aguilar's coffin, draped with a white cloth, was brought into the arena, all the officers in the building stood and saluted as bagpipes played. The sheriff's office lined the path from the viewing room to the funeral.

Behind the coffin, Aguilar's widow, Jamie Farley Aguilar, and their five children walked in, followed by dozens of friends and family members. Jamie Aguilar wore a sticker of a sheriff's badge on her black dress with a black band across it.