Video: Goodbye to 'one of the good ones': Wayzata officer mourned


An American flag is hung between fire department trucks.
1 An American flag is hung between Maple Plain and Mound fire department trucks at the entrance of the cemetery. 
Police officers enter Wayzata Free Church before the funeral.
2 Thousands of people, including 1,900 fellow law enforcement officers and Gov. Mark Dayton, joined him in paying their final respects to Mathews, who was 47 when he died. 
A Minnesota State Patrol officer hands out funeral programs.
3 A Minnesota State Patrol officer hands out funeral programs. 
A member of the Patriot Guard Riders holds a flag on Highway 101.
4 A member of the Patriot Guard Riders holds a flag on Highway 101 outside of Wayzata Free Church. 
It was a morning of solemn ceremony at the Wayzata Free Church.
5 It was a morning of solemn ceremony and tradition at the Wayzata Free Church as Bill Mathews' family and the city he served prepared to lay him to rest, nearly a week after he died on duty, answering a routine call to clear some debris from the highway running through town. 
Mathews' sister-in-law read a letter from his widow, Shawn, far right.
6 Mathews' sister-in-law, Casie Budolfson, read a letter from his widow, Shawn, far right. "Bill lived his life to serve as an officer," Budolfson said. "There was not a single day Bill complained about going to work. He was there early and he stayed late. Bill was proud to perform his duty as an officer in the communities of Wayzata and Long Lake, protecting and serving without hesitation." 
Mathews' partner, Wayzata officer Dan Lee
7 Mathews' partner, Wayzata officer Dan Lee, said he never wanted him to work alone. "Everything from a domestic assault to the most tragic of suicides to the most mundane of parking complaints, Bill was there. I remember often standing in the rain, doing vehicle lockouts, one of our most basic calls for service in Wayzata. Surely not worth two officers getting soaked in the rain for. Not for Bill. He would be standing side by side with me, attempting to do his part, so I wouldn't have to stand in the rain alone." 
A Hopkins police officer stands on the steps of the church.
8 A Hopkins police officer stands on the steps of Wayzata Free Church. 
Police officers and state troopers leave the funeral service.
9 Police officers and state troopers leave the funeral service. 
Chester Gould, 73, has been a member of the Minn. Patriot Guard since 2006.
10 Chester Gould, 73, has been a member of the Minnesota Patriot Guard since 2006. The retiree offered support to those attending officer Bill Mathews' funeral from the side of the road outside the cemetery in Wayzata. "Come when you can and leave when you have to," he said. 
Officer Josh Betts of the U police tapes flowers on police motorcycles.
11 Officer Josh Betts of the University of Minnesota Police Department tapes flowers on to the front of police motorcycles at the funeral for officer Bill Mathews. Betts didn't know officer Mathews but came to honor him anyway, "when it comes to day-to-day things, you realize how quickly things can change," he said. 
A hearse carries officer Mathews to the cemetery.
12 A hearse carries officer Mathews to the Summit Park Cemetery from Wayzata Free Church after the funeral. 
Retired officer Dennis Hansen holds a flag that represents police officers.
13 Retired police officer Dennis Hansen holds a flag that represents police officers in the United States. He said he took a moment of silence for the fallen officer. 
Sheila Wilson holds a 'thank you' sign as the procession passes.
14 Sheila Wilson went to Wayzata High School with officer Bill Mathews's wife, and she holds a 'thank you' sign as the procession heads into downtown Wayzata. 
Lisa Basil held her hand over her heart during the funeral procession.
15 Lisa Basil held her right hand over her heart to show respect for officer Mathews. 
Police officers salute the funeral procession for officer Bill Mathews.
16 Police officers salute the funeral procession as it passes by Lake Minnetonka to Summit Park Cemetery where he was buried. 
Megan Junker, center, holds her son Henry and a flag.
17 Megan Junker, center, holds her son Henry and an American flag to support the family of officer Bill Mathews. 
A woman watches the procession pass through Wayzata.
18 A woman watches the procession for officer Bill Mathews pass through Wayzata. 
A member of the Minnesota Honor Guard carries the state flag.
19 A member of the Minnesota Honor Guard carries the state flag to the service at the cemetery for the burial. 
Police officers walk from the funeral to the gravesite.
20 Police from around the state attended the funeral, walking from the funeral to the grave site. 
Officer Bill Mathews' casket is escorted to the grave site.
21 Officer Bill Mathews' casket is escorted to the grave site on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. 
Mathews left behind his wife and 7-year-old son.
22 Mathews' death as a public servant was also a very private tragedy. He left behind his wife and 7-year-old son. His wife's brother, Craig Budolfson, remembers how he came to understand what Mathews meant to his own family. "Bill became my mom's fixer. My sister and brother-in-law's silent helper. A hero of an uncle to his nieces and nephews. A soul mate to my sister and a super hero to his son Wyatt." 
Grave side service attendees salute officer Mathews.
23 Grave side service attendees salute officer Mathews. 
Mathews was laid to rest in the same Wayzata where he served and died.
24 Mathews was buried at the Summit Park Cemetery, a quiet opening in the woods north of Lake Minnetonka, in the same Wayzata where he served and died.