BURLINGTON — The horse without a rider said it all.

Guided by an honor guard officer, the horse led the procession that escorted the body of Skagit County Sheriff’s Deputy Anne Jackson to Kirkby Field at Burlington-Edison High School for her funeral.

The sky was clear but the wind carried a chill through the thousands of family members, friends, police officers and members of the public who came to remember Jackson, who was lost to the people and the animals she cared so much about.

“She lifted the spirits of those that she served. She loved helping people. She adored animals, especially her horses,” said master of ceremonies Chris Cammock, a lieutenant in the Mount Vernon Police Department.

Monique Stefens, a friend of 25 years, recalled an occasion in high school when she and Jackson raced their horses at full speed.

“There was nothing that seemed to intimidate her. Once she decided to do something, she simply did it,” Stefens said.

Fellow officers said it was her compassion and her willingness to work hard that allowed Jackson, 40, to become a sworn sheriff’s deputy three years ago.

When she answered a call about a mentally ill man causing a disturbance near Silver Creek Drive in Alger last week, she was motivated by a compassion that may have been fostered by her experience with a mentally ill brother.

“It was that kindred spirit, heartfelt connection to mental illness that called her to serve on Silver Creek Drive on Sept. 2, 2008,” Cammock said.
About two hours after Jackson responded to that call, deputies found her shot to death at a home off Silver Creek Drive. Just minutes after that, Isaac L. Zamora, 28, was arrested in connection with that death and five others.

“A.J. was a warrior in the truest sense,” said Annette Lindquist, Jackson’s sergeant. “She fought fiercely for herself and the citizens who she was sworn to protect and serve.”

“Rest in peace sister, we’re going to hold the line.”

State Patrol Chief John Batiste read a statement by Gov. Chris Gregoire. Bad weather on the East Coast delayed Gregoire’s flight back to the state and prevented her from making a scheduled appearance at Jackson’s service.

The governor said that as a mother herself she suffers along with Jackson’s mother, Peggy Bengry.

“Washingtonians everywhere are heartbroken at the loss of your beloved Anne Jackson,” Batiste read.

Sheriff Rick Grimstead lightened the mood for a moment with a humorous story about Jackson. But near the end of his speech, Grimstead’s voice was breaking.

“Anne is a tremendous loss to our office, community, to her family and many friends. She will be greatly missed by all of us,” the sheriff said.

At the end of the funeral, a group of State Patrol troopers folded the American flag that had draped Jackson’s coffin and presented it to Grimstead. On bent knee, the sheriff handed the flag to Bengry.

After the service, Grimstead said, “Hopefully, it helps all of us heal a little bit. It’s a tremendous outpouring, not only from the community but law enforcement.”

The crowd that attended the two-hour service was estimated at 4,000 to 4,500 — including police officers from about 100 agencies in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Canada.

In bright red uniforms, the large contingent of Royal Canadian Mounted Police stood out in the arrays of police officers.

Cpl. Greg Gillis, based in Richmond, B.C., said a large number of off-duty Mounted Police came in part because Skagit County officers are so well represented at memorials for Canadian officers.

“It’s our opportunity to come back and try to support them in their time of need,” Gillis said. “Any time there’s a death in law enforcement, it’s a large family that transcends borders.”

The Civil Air Patrol of the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, a youth organization based at Skagit Regional Airport, provided ushers for the service.

One of the ushers, 16-year-old Austin Scarpino, lives in Alger. He didn’t know any of the six who were killed in last week’s attacks, but Deputy Jackson had pulled over his mother a couple weeks earlier and given her a warning about a broken tail light. Scarpino said she was “really nice.”

Scarpino said that at his age, to come to grips with the attack and to participate in the funeral was a “learning experience” about what the world is like.

“Just the fact that something that tragic and horrific happened is very scary, and it happened here — the last place you would expect it,” Scarpino said.

The service was a reminder to Lt. Lin Tucker of the Sedro-Woolley Police Department of the dangers his agency faces daily.

He and his sergeants want to spend more time with their officers, he said, “making sure they’re being supported by us.”

His officers were especially fond of Jackson, Tucker said, because she was just like them — young and aggressive.

“She went out and did exactly what she was supposed to be doing, which was protecting the public,” Tucker said.

Cammock concluded the service by asking those who attended to follow Jackson’s example:

“Live life, live it well, and be that difference for others.”

n Staff writer Marta Murvosh contributed to this report.