Losing a parent means losing a part of your life.
You’re never the same.
We achieve different milestones as we grow older. And through all of these achievements, our very first and most consistent supporters are our parents.
They’ll walk us through our first day of school, help us achieve our first awards, teach us what we need to know in our teenage years, and cry with us as we get our college degrees.
Nothing can replace them.
Beyond that, they’ll walk us down the aisle and kiss their grandkids. So when we lose a parent, it means celebrating these milestones with a void in our hearts.
However, a local police department didn’t want a child to experience this longing.
Determined to make her feel loved
Anna Stolinsky lost her father, Lt. Kevin Stolinsky last November 2021 due to a medical incident. Lt. Stolinsky is a former member of the U.S. Navy who dedicated his skills to “serve and protect” their community.
He was an active member of the local police department.
In several events they posted on their Facebook page, Lt. Stonlisky is either up the stage, in the photo, or presenting plaques.
Kindergarten wouldn’t be the same.
Because of this loss, Anna would be walking into her first day of kindergarten alone.
With such big of a milestone, any parent would try their best to be present. Unfortunately for Anna, fate had other plans for her father.
But Lt. Stolinsky was a dedicated officer and an invaluable member of the community. So the officers of his precinct didn’t allow Anna to do this milestone alone.
They showed up ceremoniously.
On her first day of school, Anna was greeted by two lines of police officers.
They stood shoulder to shoulder along the path that Anna would walk. In their own way, they showed their support at a time when Anna needed it the most.
Now, she marches with her head up high along with her new fathers and mothers from the force.
She was thankful.
She gave every officer a high five as she walked past them to show how much she appreciated the tribute to her late father.
“It was a very, very special day. All those officers who came out to support the memory of my husband.” Anna’s mother said to Inside Edition.
Lt. Stolinsky served for 20 years.
Such a tribute is only fitting.
“In honor of her father and in support of her family, Anna and her mom were given a police escort to school and then were surrounded by officers from multiple departments as she made her way to the front doors.” The department said on their Facebook account.
He also received a big send-off during his funeral. And now, the department is sending his daughter off into the next chapter of her life.
The tribute was bittersweet for Anna.
As young as she was, she understood why police officers lined up outside the school doors.
It made her miss her father more, but it was also a reminder for her how much their family was loved.
In the end, she just wanted their community to remember her father as a kind and loving citizen, officer, and father.
Watch the police’s moving tribute to a late cop’s daughter in the video below!
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