Loved ones, friends, and colleagues from across the country gathered Thursday afternoon to say their final goodbyes to Carrollton Police Officer Steven R. Nothem II. He was killed in the line of duty last week.
The private funeral was held at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano. The funeral was not streamed live online at the request of the family. A private procession and burial in Celina followed.
Law enforcement agencies from across Texas attended the funeral at the church to pay their final respects to a man and public servant who was described as compassionate, defender of the underdog, and above all, a devoted family man.
Nothem, originally from Wisconsin, joined the Carrollton Police Department in 2020. Prior to that, he was an officer at the Grand Chute, WI Police Department for four years.
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Before his career in law enforcement, the U.S. Marine veteran did two tours in Iraq and served in the military for eight years.
All aspects Nothem's life as a public servant and family man were put on display Thursday afternoon as photos of him as a husband, father and officer played on the large screen inside the church, which was lit blue.
At the front of the stage inside the chapel, an American flag draped Nothem's casket, next to which two members of the Honor Guard stood. Flowers and a "Captain America" shield, a nod to his love for the Marvel comics and movies, decorated each side of the stage.
The atmosphere was somber as mourners took time to pause and reflect on the fallen officer's life, but those who spoke also wanted to remind people inside the church to celebrate Nothem's life.
"[We] Lost Steve physically, but will never lose him emotionally," said Eric Willis, a Carrollton Police Department Chaplain who spoke at the beginning of the service.
He described what it was like on the night of Oct. 19 as Nothem's colleagues were silent and shocked, trying to make sense of what happened to their brother in blue.
Willis described Nothem as someone who joked, made pranks, and had a 'corky smile.' He also commented on how they were going to, "miss the Wisconsin drawl," of Nothem.
He told Nothem's four children -- a 13-year-old boy, 6-year-old boy twins, and a 1-year-old daughter -- "Your dad is a hero."
Last week, Nothem's father told NBC 5 that his son and family moved South for the warmer weather and believed the climate for officers in terms of respect, was better in Texas.
Steve Nothem, the officer's father, said his son, "was just a nice kid that most people found loveable." He said his son, "hated the bullies" and would stand up for kids who couldn't defend themselves.
He shared that while growing up, his son was known as "Stevie" in reference to "Scuba Steve" in the movie "Big Daddy." His father said that while serving in the U.S. Marines Corps, his son was called "Frankie" short for Frankenstein to poke fun at the way he ran. Meanwhile, at Carrollton, he was known again known as "Stevie" in which his father said, "right back to where he started,' in terms of nicknames.
His father then asked for Marines in the room to shout out a battle cry for his son, to which the room replied, "Oorah."
He continued the eulogy for his son with a reading of The Velveteen Rabbit, a classic children's book about a stuffed animal that wants to become a real rabbit.
“You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand," read Nothem's father.
He referred to how his son was real, didn't have any sharp edges and was a beautiful person. He also joked to put up a picture up of his son, who was bald, in reference to the children's story about being loved until the hair falls off.
The grandfather to Nothem's four kids then gave each of them stuffed rabbits.
Officer Aubrey Hoffman, surrounded by fellow officers who were on the same shift as Nothem, said she was also known as "auntie" to Nothem's children. She said her colleague was "different" in terms of the type of officer he was and "shined with people."
She said he would take the time to talk to everyone, which was a reason why he would write his reports in his patrol unit because otherwise, he would make everyone laugh.
Hoffman said Nothem saved the lives of their fellow officers that night, and described how the officer was a great listener and remembered small details about other people's lives.
She said her colleague was most proud of being a husband and father and wasn't shy about showing his wife affection and being "mushy" with her in front of other officers.
Hoffman described how Nothem would tell people, including her, that he loved them. "He loves you too," she said to the room full of officers from across Texas. She said they would miss him and promised to remember him, followed by, "Your watch is over and we've got it from here," as she recited his badge number, 1070.
Pastor Neal Jeffrey with Prestonwood Baptist Church reflected on the stories he heard from the family in the days leading up to the funeral.
"The way Steve died is the way Steve lived," said Jeffery in regard to Nothem's commitment to service.
"Steve, you did life well," he said.
In the fallen officer's obituary, it said that "even in death, he has continued to serve others by being an organ donor."
After the service, outside the church, Nothem received a 21-gun salute, with the playing of Taps and the flag presentation in which service members folded the American flag draped across his casket and presented it to his wife, who held onto it tightly.
A public visitation was held Wednesday night at Stonebriar Funeral Home. A candlelight vigil was held on Sunday, Oct. 23 at the Carrollton Amphitheater. People wore Disney and Marvel t-shirts in honor of Nothem who was fond of Disney movies and Marvel Comics.
The Marine veteran, son, brother, husband, and father of four was killed while assisting another officer during a DWI Investigation on the George Bush Turnpike.
Carrollton Police said Nothem was sitting inside his squad car when 82-year-old Philip Parker crashed into the patrol unit. Parker died at the scene.
A neighbor told NBC 5 that Parker was on his way to the airport to pick up a relative. Police do not believe alcohol was involved but said the investigation is underway.
Tributes for the fallen officer continued to grow outside the Carrollton Police Department where a squad car is parked alongside a large picture of Nothem.
The officer's father told NBC 5 that his son always, "defended the underdog" and loved to serve his country and community.
"He was passionate about it, it wasn't just a job for him," said Nothem's father, Steven Nothem.
NBC 5's Sophia Beausoleil contributed to this report.
