It was a day full of emotions.
"I feel like I am in a nightmare, and i can't wake up," said Officer Alan McCollum's widow, Michelle.
The support for McCollum's family and the Corpus Christi Police Department could be seen and felt Thursday.
"We celebrate his life here, we cherish his memory," said CCPD Chief Michael Markle. "Our hearts are heavy with his loss."
Family, friends, law enforcement and the community gathered to say their final goodbyes.
Markle spoke highly of one of the department's most decorated officers, who served in the U.S. army for 21 years, before joining CCPD.
"Your daddy is not a hero because of the way he died," Markle said, addressing McCollum's family. "You understand that? He was a hero because of the way he chose to live his life."
McCollum's wife of 16 years, Michelle, shared some of her most cherished memories, including the day the met.
"I remember seeing him for the first time as I opened the door, and his infectious smile staring right at me," she said.
Now staring into the crowd at her late husband's funeral, she had a message for the man she said took that smile from her.
"I want you to know, I'm a shattered person right now," she said. "My heart is broken into so many pieces because of the decision you made to drive home drunk."
Last Friday marked the end of McCollum's watch, but today marked the beginning of moving forward.
"This is how we start the healing process," he said. "This is how we shed the anger of what happened."
"Alan, i will find you the day we meet in Heaven," Michelle said. "And you will stare back at me with that grin and those dimples. You are the sun, the moon and the stars to me. I love you forever."
