The life of Hancock County Sheriff's Deputy Luke Gross was remembered Thursday at a funeral service at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
Deputy Gross was killed in the early morning hours of September 23 while responding to a vehicle off the road in Trenton when he was struck by another vehicle.
At his funeral service, Pastor Peter Remick described Gross's deep commitment to his work as a sheriff's deputy.
"He was a friend to many who happened to be a cop. He was a great officer who saw people as human beings that he could help transform by treating them in a good way. A colleague wrote Luke was a caring, crazy, dependable officer, who did his job well," Remick said.
A cousin said Gross was inspired to work in law enforcement after his mother passed away unexpectedly when he was a teen. An Ellsworth police officer had stayed with him until other family members arrived.
Many at the service spoke of Gross's love of life and family. He's survived by a wife and two young children. Some colleagues, including Hancock County Deputy Rob Morang, addressed Gross's kids directly.
"Just one of the reasons your dad was a hero was because every day, he gave a piece of himself away to everyone he came into contact with. His smile and jokes and eagerness to do something silly inspires all of us to be better people," Morang said.
Hancock County Sheriff Scott Kane told the crowd that he's retiring Gross's call number Hancock 9.
"Someone will take your spot, Luke. But no one will replace you," Kane said.
Kane played a final dispatch at the service: "Hancock 9. Deputy Luke Gross. We thank you for your dedication, loyalty and service to the citizens of Hancock County. You embraced the people of this community and made them your extended family. You have influenced the lives of thousands of youth with your never-ending compassion, respect, and love. Your legacy lives on in them along with your brothers and sisters in the law enforcement community, your loving wife, and children. Hancock 9, Deputy Luke Gross, rest in peace. We have the watch from here."
Luke Gross was a Sheriff's Deputy for Hancock County for 18 years. He was 44 .
For this story, we had reporting assistance from our media partners at the Bangor Daily News.
