GRAND PRAIRIE (1080 KRLD) - A Grand Prairie police officer who lost his battle with COVID-19 is fondly remembered during a memorial service.
Friends and family joined with officers from the Grand Prairie Police Department at Gateway Community Church to pay their respects to Officer Andy MacDonald.
McDonald died on Monday at the age of 46.
During the funeral service, Andy's father, Pastor Joe MacDonald, remembered his son for his compassion, even in the face of his divorce from his first wife.
"He was still bitter on the inside, but he gave his life to balance that by doing good, by caring, by loving, by being considerate," said the elder MacDonald. "That was Andy."
Officer MacDonald's older brother, Scott, said the two of them were inseparable, especially as they were growing up.
"He was always the hyper one; always full of life," said Scott. "He was my sidekick; we grew up together. We got into a lot of trouble, though."
Grand Prairie Police Chief Daniel Scesney said MacDonald's presence will be sorely missed.
"He had a way of making others smile and lifting their hearts every single day," said Chief Scesney. "Andrew McDonald was part of the heart and soul of this police department."
Ofc. MacDonald was with the Grand Prairie Police Department for 22 years, serving in patrol, SWAT and the Community Services Division.
MacDonald's father had a message for the officers in attendance.
"If we take anything away from this time together, it's this -- that, that what you appreciate with Andy can be shown to each other as you go forward," Pastor MacDonald said. "Don't wait until this time to say he was a good officer; she was a good officer. Don't wait till this time, live it every day."
Chief Scesney mentioned during the service that all officers at the department fill out a line-of-duty death packet, outlining their final wishes should they die in the line of duty.
The packet is confidential and is sealed upon completion, only opened by the police chief in the event that the officer dies in the line of duty.
Szesney said he stared at MacDonald's sealed packet for 15 minutes before opening it and reading over its contents.
"When I reached the portion about whether or not Andy wanted a ceremonial flyover, he did -- by the Star Wars Millennium Falcon," Scesney said to muted laughter from the congregation. "So that's a tall order, but it was in true Mac fashion that he knew what we would be going through. And he injected humor at that moment, to help us through. That is who he was."
True to MacDonald's wishes, during the outside portion of the funeral, the department arranged for a Dallas Police airship to conduct a flyover with a perfect replica of the Millennium Falcon inside.
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