The husband of Const. Sara Burns had the opportunity to say goodbye to his wife on Saturday in front of thousands of police officers from across the country.
Steven Burns honoured his wife with a tearful tribute, calling her his “hero and my angel.”
“But now she is a hero and an angel for a community, a province and a nation,” Burns said on Saturday.
READ MORE: Thousands attend funeral service for 2 officers killed in Fredericton shooting
Const. Sara Burns and Const. Robb Costello died last week while responding to a report of shots fired on Brookside Drive.
Two others, Bobbie Lee Wright and Donnie Robichaud, also died in the horrific shooting.
WATCH: Fredericton police chief chokes up remembering her fallen officers
At the funeral, Burns spoke of Sara’s desire to become a police officer. He said she decided to pursue her criminology degree when she was 35 “while running the entire family and doing 20 hours a week minimum on the auxiliary for the Fredericton Police Force.”
Upon graduating, Burns said Sara then applied to attend the Atlantic Police Academy.
“When I think back now, I remember her biggest fear was having to leave her boys behind for about six months while she attended the academy in P.E.I.,” said Burns.
“For 19 years she was the best wife, mother, business partner, chauffeur, nurse, and hockey mom a family could ever ask for.”
WATCH: Regimental funeral procession
Burns said his wife was “proud beyond her words” to be a City of Fredericton police officer.
“I can remember all too often, driving in the car, just the two of us, and in mid-sentence she would just belt out, ‘I love my job!’” he said.
READ MORE: Publication ban lifted on details about Fredericton shooting that killed 4
Burns also had a message for Sara’s former colleagues.
“Don’t burden yourself with the why,” he said, “because you won’t find the answer. When it’s your time, it is your time.”
“And never, never lay blame.”
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