BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — Hundreds of people sent messages to honor fallen Deputy Greg McCowan on Monday ahead of his funeral on Wednesday. Some signed the book at the funeral home, others posted online, while others stopped by to cover his cruiser with flowers and balloons.
The atmosphere was heavy and many people said they wanted to see the fugitive suspected of killing McCowan, Kenneth Wayne DeHart Jr., taken into custody, while others are focusing on sending sympathy to the people that the deputy left behind.
“We’re a community and a county that cares for our law enforcement and we want to back the law enforcement,” Billy Long, a community member, said. “My condolences for the family, you know, during this troublesome time right now and, you know, for their loss.”
The 43-year-old Blount County deputy was full of love and life, according to his obituary, and liked dirt track racing, boating, restoring cars, and traveling among other things.
Some of the messages on the cruiser said, "Thank you for your service," "I’m sorry for what happened," "Wish you were still here.'’
Endless messages keep coming in online and some said, "Thank you for your bravery," "You’ll forever be in our hearts," and "Thank you for protecting us."
The deputy leaves a fiancé, children, a granddaughter, and a whole family behind.
“For the family... they’re in our thoughts and prayers. Law enforcement, all of them, are in our thoughts and prayers,” Sonja Alley, a community member, said.
On Wednesday, the community will remember McCowan during a funeral at Sevier Heights Baptist Church starting at 1 p.m. The funeral service will be conducted with full police honors, and then a procession will take McCowan to his final resting place at Grandview Cemetery in Maryville.
The Blount County Sheriff's Office is inviting people to stand along safe portions of the procession route after the funeral from Sevier Heights Baptist Church to Grandview Cemetary in Maryville as McCowan is taken to his final resting place on Wednesday, which is anticipated to start around 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. BCSO said the procession will take Alcoa Highway southbound to Hall Road before turning on Tuckaleechee Pike in Maryville.
"If you choose to pay your respects to Deputy McCowan and his family by standing along the procession route, please choose a safe area away from traffic," BCSO said. "Sheriff James Lee Berrong would like to thank you for your patience, support, and condolences.
People can send flowers, plant a tree, or send a card and share favorite memories, or words of sympathy at this link.
McCowan will be remembered for his love of his family and his contagious smile, according to the obituary.
“I’m so sorry and you’re in our prayers and I’ll be thinking of you and if there’s anything anyone can do just let somebody know,” Bonny Davis, a community member, said.