Introduction
The article of last Monday, on sports, was published, at 3:41 PM, before I'd learned of the sad news. This article, the 39th under the "freedom” topic section, honors an outstanding member of the thin blue line. The young man died, last Monday, due to injuries sustained, late the prior evening, while in service to Knox County, Tennessee, residents.
Late last Sunday evening, about 11:15 PM, Knox County Sheriff's Deputy, Tucker Blakely, age 29, was one of the deputies, who had responded to a domestic disturbance, in Knoxville. Shots were fired. The perpetrator died at the scene. Deputy Blakely, injured severely, was transported to a local hospital. He passed away the next day. Tucker Blakely was also a veteran of the United States Army.
Local television news stations conveyed the sad news, to my wife and me, at 6 PM, last Monday evening. We were saddened profoundly. The obituary for Deputy Blakely is found at: Tucker Carmichael Blakely (July 22, 1994 - October 2, 2023), Mynatt Funeral Home, Inc.
Tributes to Deputy Tucker Blakely
This section first shares the tribute to Deputy Tucker Blakely, by WBIR TV. My tribute follows.
WBIR TV Tribute
Several articles honor Deputy Sheriff Blakely. Of those, I wish to cite the following, for this section. Please read “KCSO Deputy Tucker Blakely honored during celebration of life: The deputy was revered at the sheriff's office for his passion for working as a law enforcement officer. He leaves behind a wife and a 5-year-old child.” On WBIR TV, by Madalyn Torres, published 10/4/2023, updated 10/6/2023. The first four paragraphs state:
East Tennessee honored and remembered the life and legacy of fallen Deputy Tucker Blakely during a memorial service on Friday.
The day of remembrance began at 8 a.m. as people lined the procession route and hundreds of officers from agencies across East Tennessee drove to Clear Springs Baptist Church along Emory Road.
A celebration of life was held for Blakely on Friday, Oct. 6, at Clear Springs Baptist Church. Doors opened at 10 a.m. for people to pay respects to Blakely as he lied in repose, and officers conducted a "Sea of Blue" at 11:00 a.m. by turning on their cruisers' lights.
The celebration of life began at 2 p.m. You can watch the full stream from that ceremony below or at this link.
About halfway, the article reads, “Blakely was responding to a domestic situation at a house in West Knox County when he was shot Sunday night. He died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center on Monday.”
The final paragraph states, “The last Knox County deputy who was shot and killed in the line of duty was Detective James Kennedy, in March 1984.”
The church building, where Deputy Blakely's service was held last Friday, is only a few miles from our house. The article, cited above, includes the link to the service. The full service is viewable at “Watch: KCSO Deputy Tucker Blakely's Celebration of Life,” on WBIR Channel 10 (YouTube), 10/6/2023. The service was two hours and three minutes.
Tucker Blakely's wife, Katarina, spoke with sad eloquence. His father spoke, in honor of his son. Several others spoke also. I watched the celebration of life, last Friday.
My Tribute
I can't begin to comprehend how that I would have responded, if, in 1965, my father had passed away, at age 38, when I was age five. I wonder how my father, mother, brothers, wife, other family, and friends would have endured, if, in 1989, I had died, at age 29. (The driver, my guide and translator, and I could have died, in India, in 1989, if the roadside bomb had detonated.) I hope that my wife would have remained strong, if, in 1993, I had passed on, at age 33, in the seventh year of our marriage.
Tucker Blakely's young wife and five-year-old son honored him, by the strength that they showed, during his funeral service. His father epitomized strength and character.
The thin blue line separates the dark and wicked evil from the good, in this fallen world. Sadly, evil can and does, too often, violate that line. Officers, troopers, and sheriff's deputies, while protecting us, sacrifice themselves, while holding that thin blue line, when the wicked evil take them from us.
Deputy Sheriff Tucker Blakely died, at the hand of the wicked evil, while he was holding firmly the thin blue line. I did not have the honor of meeting brother Blakely, but I look forward to doing so, once I join him, at our everlasting Home. His eulogy affirmed that he is my brother in Christ.
The deep red ocean of Christ's shed blood separates unsaved sinners from saved sinners. The saved do not practice a life of sin, and we live out the grace of Christ, which indwells us. The unsaved are welcome to cross the deep red ocean, to join us, on the saved side.
At the final judgment, the gulf will separate everlastingly the saved from the unsaved. Heaven will be the permanent home of the saved. Everlasting torment will be the abode of the unrepentant dark and wicked evil.
The dark and wicked evil, who took Deputy Sheriff Tucker Blakely, is enduring everlasting torment, even now. Brother Blakely is, even now, comforted by everlasting joy, in paradise. We, who remain, will miss him. We will see him again. He awaits us. May his parents, wife, son, family, and friends be comforted by this thought. Final justice has been and will be served. Dear Lord, bless, by your grace, the family of Tucker Blakely, with these thoughts. In Christ, our Lord and Savior's name, amen.
The fifth article, of 12/9/2022, in the ongoing “Christian Evidences” series, under the heading “The So-Called 'Problem of Evil,'” contains a complete statement on the dark and wicked evil that is in this fallen world. Final justice will be served.
Conclusion
As I began writing this article, my mind drifted back to two articles, which I'd published in 2021, as tributes to two fine officers, whom I'd met. The first article published on 5/8/2021. The second article was on 6/12/2021. I also recalled the two articles, of 9/12/2021 and 3/20/2022, that mention and honor Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.
This article honors the thin blue line. It also honors, loves, and cherishes the deep red ocean. I trust, dear reader, that you do also.
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