SAN ANTONIO – Updated at 11:20 a.m.:
Deputy Timothy De La Fuente was remembered as a hero, a great husband, father and law enforcement officer.
Here are some excerpts from speakers at the funeral:
De La Fuente’s wife appeared on stage with her daughter, who read from a letter her mother wrote.
His wife said she will miss his smile, his silly jokes, his silly dancing, and the happy tears they shared.
She thanked him for being a great husband, father and law enforcement officer.
“(I was) proud to have spent the last 14 years together,” she said. “I loved you yesterday, today and tomorrow.”
The fallen deputy’s sister, Melinda De La Fuente, said her brother was “the typical baby brother, wanting to be in the middle of the action.”
She said the deputy followed his father's footsteps in law enforcement and the two wanted to make each other proud and happy.
She said she “admired him as a “happy-go-lucky guy and full of life who enjoyed his job.”
“It’s difficult to accept the loss of my brother,” she said.
She also shared that their father died in February and their mother in March before De La Fuente's death in April.
“They will be singing, dancing and flying with the angels (in heaven),” she said.
A sister-in-law of De La Fuente spoke through tears, saying that the upcoming holidays will be empty without him.
She also told the attendees that De La Fuente “loved his family like he loved the Lord.”
His young niece said that her uncle “always took the time to listen to me’ and was “always kind and sweet.”
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar called De La Fuente a hero.
“You couldn’t help but smile when Tim greeted you,” Salazar said. “Tim was all heart. Thank you for being our hero.”
Original story:
A memorial service will take place Tuesday for a deputy who passed away after contracting COVID-19.
Sheriff Deputy Timothy De La Fuente, 53, died on April 30. He was assigned to the detention bureau and had been with BCSO for 27 years.
According to a statement from BCSO, the procession is tentatively scheduled to depart at 9:00 a.m. from Mission Park Funeral Chapels South, located at 1700 SE Military Dr.
The memorial service will be livestreamed in this article. If you don’t see a livestream, check back at a later time.
“Social distancing measures will be implemented and we ask that you please bring your mask,” BCSO said in a statement.
BCSO holding memorial service for 27-year veteran, Sheriff Deputy Timothy De La Fuente, who died due to COVID-19.
The schedule is as follows:
- 9:00 a.m. Procession from Mission Park South, 1700 SE Military Dr.
- 10:00 a.m. Memorial service at Community Bible Church, 2477 N. Loop 1604 E.
- 11:00 a.m. Committal Service at Community Bible Church
Related: Visitation service on Wednesday for Deputy Timothy De La Fuente