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Family, state representative, remember fallen DPS trooper

State Representative Hugh Shine proposed a bill to make a portion of I-35 the Trooper Tom Nipper Memorial Highway in honor of the late Nipper's 43 years in law enforcement.

CENTRAL TEXAS — Thursday marked the second Thanksgiving a local family had to spend without its loved one.

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Tom Nipper was killed when a pickup truck hit him while he was making a traffic stop on I-35 in November 2017.

His career in law enforcement lasted 43 years before that tragic day.

KCEN Channel 6 reporter Emani Payne spoke to Nipper's family and friends about how they plan to keep his legacy alive.

The Nipper family set a jacket on an empty chair where Tom Nipper usually sat.

"He always did the turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas," Tammy Nipper said. "We miss that."

She also said the road to recovery is a tough one.

"It's kind of like that day just replays over and over again, so I don't know if it's anything we'll ever heal from," Nipper said.

State Representative Hugh Shine proposed a bill to make a portion of I-35 the Trooper Tom Nipper Memorial Highway in honor of Nipper's service.

"It's just a way to show our gratitude as a community for the service that Thomas Nipper gave us," Shine said.

The Nipper family said they're honored by the gesture, and hope a memorial would impact the community in a positive way.

"I hope they'll think of it as someone who loved to help people and will encourage them to help people," Nipper said.

The memorial bill may go into effect in September 2019.

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