GROESBECK, Texas — A sea of Texas Department of Public Safety troopers lined up the Groesbeck High School football stadium Wednesday, both on the field and on the stands, to honor the life of one of their own: Chad Walker.
Walker's funeral was held at the stadium at 10 a.m. and lasted until about noon.
During the service, Walker was remembered as a man who grew up in Central Texas and who loved the great outdoors. He was remembered as a hunter, a fisherman and as a man who changed the lives of everyone he met.
"Chad Walker was destined for greatness," said one speaker. "If you don't believe me, look around you. These people aren't here because they feel sorry, they are here because he touched the lives of many people throughout his young walk of 38 years."
"To the community as a whole he was a part of that thin blue line that keeps evil at bay. Chad Walker was many things to many people but to me Chad Walker was my friend," said another speaker.
After, about 1,000 law enforcement vehicles escorted Walker's body to LaSalle Cemetery on FM 1953 where he was laid to rest, DPS told 6 News.
Walker, 38, was born on May 21, 1982 and grew up in Groesbeck where he graduated from Groesbeck High School in 2000, according to his obituary.
He began his career in law enforcement in 2003 at the Athens Police Department. After that, he worked at the Henderson County Sheriff's Office, the Groesbeck Police Department and the Limestone County Sheriff's Office. He joined DPS in 2015, the obituary said.
Walker married his wife, Tobie Taylor, on Sept. 22, 2018. They stayed in Groesbeck to raise their four children: a 15-year-old son, 7-year-old twins daughters and a 2-month-old daughter.
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Gallery: Texas DPS Trooper Chad Walker's funeral service
Walker died days after he was shot while responding to a call about a disabled vehicle on FM 2448 and Highway 84 near Mexia, Texas. The Texas DPS Officer's Association said he was shot in the head and abdomen while driving up to the vehicle.
He was admitted to Baylor Scott & White's Hillcrest hospital in Waco and remained on life support for a few days before he died, according to Texas DPS.
"Walker no longer display[ed] signs of viable brain activity and he remain[ed] on life-support until he... share[d] the gift of life as an organ donor," DPS said in a statement.
Walker is survived by his wife and four children -- a 15-year-old son, twin 7-year-old daughters and a 2-month-old daughter.
A GoFundMe was set up to help his family with medical, travel and funeral expenses.
