Colleagues of late Police Chief Riley Scott Sumner and Fire Capt. Matthew Tuttle vowed to carry on their fallen comrades' tradition of exemplary public service on Friday.
It was a somber anniversary for the city's police and fire departments, as they carried out private memorial services for the men who lost their lives in the line of duty on April 13, 2006.
The tragic circumstances surrounding the loss of the two public safety professionals sent shock waves throughout the community and far beyond, with messages of condolence received from literally all over the world.
Sumner, 43, was a homegrown hero, being a 1980 graduate of Chelsea High School.
Tuttle, a 28-year-old Lima Township resident, graduated from Chelsea High School in 1996.
Capping a 17-year career in law enforcement, Sumner had held the position of chief for only two years before his death.
"He was like a son to me; he grew up with my boys and they were all very close," said longtime Chelsea Police Chief Lenard McDougall.
"Everybody liked him; the men all accepted him. He would have made a great chief — no, he was a great chief. I watched the evolution of the department after he became chief."
Generations of the Sumner family have been involved in law enforcement.
Scott Sumner's father, Clyde, and uncle, Robert, both retired from the Detroit Police Department.
Robert Sumner is a Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputy assigned to Dexter and Scio Township, and his nephew, Shane, was with the Detroit police for four years before joining the Chelsea department in 2001.
"It's in my blood; Scott set a good example," said Shane Sumner.
After Sumner's death, Sgt. Rod Salyer was named interim chief of the department, and Sheriff's Department veteran Ed Toth Jr. began as the new chief in October.
Toth led his officers outside the department for a salute to the American flag at Main and Middle streets and a moment of silence, then across Middle Street to share remembrances with Sumner's family and friends.
Toth said Chelsea Police Officer Tom Cargill has been selected to act as escort officer for the family if they choose to travel to Washington D.C. for a national police memorial service in May.
Clyde Sumner said the city of Chelsea has been gracious to his family since the fatal accident.
"We've had wonderful recognition and treatment from the city," he said prior to Friday's ceremony.
"Oftentimes with these tragic things you may have a one-year moment of silence," he added, "but many of us have a moment of silence every day."
Tuttle's loss is just as keenly felt among the officers and firefighters of the Chelsea Area Fire Authority.
"It was the toughest two weeks of my life," said Fire Chief Jim Payeur, who had worked with Tuttle since becoming chief in November 2005.
"It was bad enough to lose someone like Matt, who worked for me, but Chief Sumner ... he was a great guy, we had some really good times in the short time we knew each other."
Payeur made his comments before a memorial service that was set to begin at 6 p.m. Friday.
He said Tuttle's widow, Mary, was to present the department with a plaque in her late husband's honor at the small graveside ceremony, open only to family, friends and firefighters.
A brief reception was to follow at the fire station on West Middle Street.
Tuttle was an experienced private pilot who also was a reserve police officer. Sumner joined him when he volunteered his own helicopter to assist in the manhunt for a wanted fugitive who had fled on foot from a traffic stop.
They were in the air near Jackson and Staebler roads in Scio Township at about 3:15 p.m. when the aircraft apparently encountered mechanical failure and crashed in an open field.
Police personnel abandoned the search to render aid, but paramedics pronounced both men dead at the scene.
Payeur said Tuttle had been promoted to full-time captain just two weeks before the crash, and was excited about the new direction the department was headed.
"Matt was a bright, up-and-coming person in the fire service," Payeur said. "He was driven to help this department excel and move to the next level in providing better service for the citizens."
Fire Capt. Jim Boritzki said he and Tuttle worked closely together "on a daily basis."
Both were lieutenants, and were promoted to captain at the same time.
"I worked with him back in 1999, and that's when I got to know him," he said. "(We) became 30-hour guys in 2002."
Boritzki said the firefighters have, for the most part, come to terms with Tuttle's loss over the past year.
"It seems to me everybody has coped with it pretty good," he said. "But at first it was pretty tough, and the memorial (Friday) brought back a little of that."
Shane Sumner said the loss of a family member and role model was tough to take, but, as with the firefighters, being with the department is helping him cope with it.
"The police department is a professional entity, and the tradition set by Scott and his predecessors has to be consistently upheld," he said.
"Whether you're in mourning or not, the job has to be done."
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