Hundreds Say Goodbye To Lt. Eslary

LIGONIER (KDKA) – Lt. Eric Eslary was laid to rest today.

He was well known and liked in Ligonier, which was no surprise that hundreds turned out to pay their respects to him.

Hundreds of people lined the sidewalks of Ligonier, waiting for Eslary's final ride through the streets he once protected. Many of them held sings honoring and thanking him for his service.

"Eric was a wonderful, wonderful man," said resident Sandy Mellon, "and we just want to show our respect to Eric and all of his fellow officers."

"Eric was a great guy," added Sandy Smith, "he was a pillar of our community, he was just awesome. He touched everybody."

Some residents will never understand why his life was taken away in a collision with a wrong-way driver on Route 30.

"The individual that was driving the car, it still doesn't make sense, is from this area. He knows the roads," said Dan McCue.

When the procession arrived at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, an estimated 1,500 police officers were waiting to attend the service. Chrissy Fiok, a former Ligonier native, is a deputy with the Culpeper County Sheriff's Department in Virginia. She remembers Lt. Eslary from their days as a volunteer firefighter and says it was tough attending the service.

"Very emotional," she said. "You can't describe it. Words – it's a great loss."

Ligonier Police Chief John Berger has been friends with Lt. Eslary for 30 years. He praises Eslary for his work with the K-9 program and in the community.

"Unfortunately now that we have all the logistics done, I think now it's going to really start sinking in a little bit," he said. "It's not going to be a nice day."

Many people in Ligonier are expressing deep sympathy to Lt. Eslary's wife and six children. They're also sharing fond memories of encounters with Eslary and his K-9 partner Blek. They say words cannot express how deeply he will be missed.

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