‘Words cannot adequately describe how much we miss her’: Fallen police officer Katie Thyne remembered for her ‘life of service’
The Massachusetts-born 24-year-old will be laid to rest Saturday in Lowell.
Funeral services will begin Friday in Lowell for Katherine “Katie” Thyne, the 24-year-old Massachusetts native who was killed in the line of duty while serving with the Newport News Police Department in Virginia last week.
Thyne, a graduate of Alvirne High School in Hudson, New Hampshire, was killed on Jan. 23 while conducting a traffic stop.
“Officer Thyne was an amazing mother, officer and friend,” her colleagues wrote on Facebook. “Words cannot adequately describe how much we miss her.”
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According to her obituary, Thyne was born in Lowell and enlisted in the Navy right after high school, where she served five years before entering the Navy Reserves in 2019. In her service, she was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, her loved ones wrote.
“Becoming a police officer was always in Katie’s plan,” her family wrote in her obituary. “Accepted at the Police Academy in January of 2019, she realized her dream when, upon her graduation in June of 2019, she was assigned to the South Precinct of the Newport News Virginia Police Department as a patrol officer. Well-liked and respected by even the most senior officers, Katie felt right at home and was deeply proud to be part of her police family.”
Thyne leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter and her fiancee. A celebration of the 24-year-old’s life is being held Friday in Lowell, with a funeral mass to follow on Saturday.
Both Thyne and another graduate of her high school in Hudson, Capt. Ryan S. Phaneuf, were remembered at a candlelight vigil Thursday night, attended by hundreds, at the New Hampshire school’s athletic field, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader. Phaneuf, 30, of Hudson, was killed Monday when the U.S. Air Force surveillance plane he was in crashed in Ghazni province, Afghanistan.
“Our school community is very saddened by the recent deaths of two past graduates, they will remain a beacon for our current students to follow your dreams, live a life of service and we commend their service and sacrifice,” Alvirne High School Principal Steven Beals said in a statement to the newspaper.
Thyne’s loved ones wrote in her obituary that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to support her daughter to the Officer Thyne Memorial Fund, care of the Newport News Police Foundation.
“Katie’s warm heart, never ending compassion, and contagious smile inspired everyone around her,” her obituary reads. “She had a quick wit and a great sense of fun and adventure. Her life, while much too short, was a life of service, a life of passion for her community, and most of all, a life of love for family and friends — especially the light of her life, Raegan.”
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