MARYSVILLE — Even though it’s been a year since trooper Sean M. O’Connell Jr. was killed, tears flowed and emotions ran high at a dedication of a memorial for him Friday, May 30, at Washington State Patrol headquarters.

Chief John Batiste was among the speakers at the event. He said the monument helps remind everyone that O’Connell was an excellent trooper.

“Let’s never forget that he always came to work with a smile on his face,” Batiste said.

O’Connell was remembered in the invocation as a “man with a sense of humor and integrity” and that “his spirit lives with us.”

“Taps” was played on the bugle, “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes and a ringing of the bells also took place.

Earlier in the day a street dedication took place in Lake Stevens for O’Connell.

O’Connell’s family, led by his widow, Alissa, attended the event.

The officer died May 31, 2013, when a vehicle struck him while he was doing traffic control near Conway. O’Connell was 38 and a 15-year trooper. The driver of the vehicle was not cited.

O’Connell was on traffic control because of the Interstate 5 bridge collapse over the Skagit River. That bridge has been named in his honor.