Fallen Kittitas County deputy honored with memorial

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — A memorial service for slain Kittitas County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Thompson was held Thursday afternoon on the campus of Central Washington University in Ellensburg. See photos of the memorial service here.

Thousands of people packed the pavilion to maximum capacity to remember and honor the fallen deputy.

Thompson, a graduate of Central Washington, was shot to death during a gunbattle March 19 near Ellensburg.

The suspect was also killed.

Thompson, 42, graduated from Walla Walla High School in 1995. He is survived by his wife Sara and three children, Madison, 16, Pepper, 3, and Archer, 1.

“Thompsons, my heart goes out to you. Thanks for sharing Ryan with us,” said Jeremy Zender, a friend and college roommate.

The fallen deputy started his career in law enforcement as a reserve Kittitas County deputy in 2004 and served as a corrections officer prior to becoming a Central Washington University police officer in 2007. He returned to the sheriff's department in 2013.

“We will never be the same. We enjoyed sharing life with you. I am humbled and honored to have called you my friend, my neighbor, and you will always be my backup,” said Deputy Ben Corbett, a neighbor and fellow deputy with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office.

According to those who knew him, Thompson was said to have loved his job and followed in his father's brother's and uncle's law enforcement footsteps. He had many hobbies including fossil hunting, metal sculpting, brewing beer, fly fishing, hiking, boating and mountain climbing and had summitted Mount Rainier. But each speaker said above all, Thompson was a man who loved his family.

“Thank you for your friendship. All the memories we shared. Thank you for making the ultimate sacrifice for us all. We used to sing the old Billy Joel song, ‘Only the Good Die Young.’ But you weren’t just good, you were the best of the best, you were the bunch and we all know it,” said Ian Campbell, a family friend and college roommate.

Wounded in the gunbattle and also in attendance at Thompson's memorial, was Benito Chavez, a 22-year old police officer from the town of Kittitas. He was released from Harborview Medical Center Saturday but faces a long recovery for a shattered femur.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group