A 'beautiful human being' remembered in eulogy
The casket carrying fallen Nassau Police Officer Patricia Espinosa is brought into St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Smithtown on Thursday. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
Patricia Espinosa’s friend Christian Obando said he met her while working in the Fifth Precinct and that they bonded over their shared Ecuadorian heritage.
"I'm here to remind everyone of the beautiful human being she was, day in and day out," Obando said during a eulogy.
He said Espinosa always wanted to be a mother and had nearly given up on that dream before becoming pregnant with her and her husband Francisco's daughter, Mia, now 2.
"I know Mia will be in great hands with Patty watching over her and watching over Francisco," Obando said. "We know Francisco will do the best job in being a father" and telling their daughter about "the beautiful, most loving person she had for her mother.
"I don't know why God decided to take Patty from us so soon, but I'd like to think she had a higher calling we may never understand," Obando said.
Obando said Espinosa took pride in her career and in the accolades she received as an officer.
“Patty was a great cop and I mean that in every sense of the word,” Obando said. “She loved this job and was so grateful for the opportunities it gave her in life. But what I think she loved the most was the people she worked with.”
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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