FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — One by one, the names of the deceased state conservation officers were read. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife honored the 10 men it has lost in the line of duty since the agency’s inception.
“One of the things that stands out today is I’ve had an opportunity to meet a lot of these families and they’ve told me about their loved ones either leading up to, or the day of (their respective deaths)", said Commissioner Rich Storm.
Storm said it was among his highest honors to speak at Monday morning’s ceremony to honor the fallen heroes. We don’t often think of DFW Officers of being in harm’s way, but often times they are.
“We encounter a lot of interesting situations from high-speed vehicle chases, and a constituency that has guns or bows, etc.,“ Commissioner Stone said.
Karen Ratliff was at work when her husband Donald died in 1999 while doing his weekly exercise regimen for the agency.
“They came to Dawahares, that’s where I worked, and told me he had passed. Total shock. Just disbelief,” she said.
Mrs. Ratliff said her biggest regret is not appreciating Donald when he was here. That you tend to take people for granted. She admits to having done that with her husband after so many years together.
She does, however, have a much greater sense of appreciation for him now.
“He was the best! They don’t make them like that anymore,” she claimed.
