Memorial Service Held For Santa Rosa PD Detective Lost To COVID

SANTA ROSA, CA — The Santa Rosa Police Department this week was finally able to properly honor the life of one of its own.

Detective Marylou Armer died March 31, 2020, in the line of duty from complications associated with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Armer, 44, was a Napa County resident and a 20-year veteran of the Santa Rosa Police Department when she became very ill from the virus in early March, at the onset of the pandemic.

Armer's was the first line-of-duty death of a police officer in California associated with the disease, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at the time. She was also the first coronavirus-related death in Napa County.

Armer, who was survived by her husband and daughter, began her career in law enforcement in 1999 as a field evidence technician for the Santa Rosa Police Department. She was sworn in as a police officer in May 2008. At the time of her death, she was serving as a member of Santa Rosa PD's Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Team.

Because large gatherings such as funerals were forbidden during the pandemic, the formal law enforcement funeral that would have typically been held for Armer was delayed for more than a year.

Held Thursday, the memorial service to honor Armer's life and law enforcement service was closed to the public and there was no live stream.

"We understand there is a lot of interest in the ceremony, but to respect the privacy of Detective Armer’s family, we are limiting the memorial to law enforcement and her family," Santa Rosa police Sgt. Christopher Mahurin said beforehand.

However, community members who wished to pay their respects were encouraged to line Mendocino Avenue on Thursday morning as the funeral procession traveled northbound to the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts.

Photos of the procession and ceremony were shared on Santa Rosa Police Department's social media.

"We wanted to thank everyone who posted and sent kind messages to our officers and Detective Armer's family. We are truly grateful for our Santa Rosa community."