Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

A year has come and gone since Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) Corporal Kyle Davis was killed in the line of duty.

WCSO Sheriff Scott Owen says Deputy Davis is fresh on their minds. Owen says line of duty deaths do not occur in Washington County frequently, so when it does happen they significantly impact everyone involved. He says his staff has held together and will continue to get through a difficult situation.

Deputy Davis may be gone, but Sheriff Owen says he will never be forgotten.

Pictured above: A tree seedling stands tall, carrying the weight of Deputy Kyle Davis' memory as family members look on during a memorial service for the fallen hero on Friday morning.

A seedling from the Survivor Tree at the site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building where the Oklahoma City Bombing took place in April 1995 will be planted in the center of the north lawn where a memorial was held for Deputy Davis on Friday morning (pictured below). A plaque in honor of Cpl. Davis will eventually be placed at the base of the tree.

Randy Davis, Cpl. Davis' father, made mention in his address to the public that he had once been to the Murrah site and stood under the Survivor Tree with his son. Randy thanked the WCSO for honoring and loving his son's memory with a seedling from the tree, which will stand and live on as a place of remembrance of precious moments they once shared.

Randy, a teacher and softball coach from Copan, was praised by Sheriff Owen. Owen says Randy and his family are wonderful people. He says their hearts go out to them.

Sheriff Owen says he believes they are in a time of new beginnings. Owen says they will plant the tree in Davis' memory once it grows. He says they will continue to stand with Davis' family as they push through the ordeal together.

Community support has been immense, as Sheriff Owen thanks you for being there for them in times of grief. Owen says they love the community and will always be there for you. He says they appreciate everything everyone has done, and will continue to do, for the WCSO.

A member of the public came to the memorial service and presented Davis' wife and two children with a plaque in honor of their loved one. Services were emceed by WCSO Chaplain Brian Schexnayder.

In the coming weeks, a ribbon cutting ceremony between the WCSO and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation may take place as a stretch of Highway 75 north of Dewey will be dedicated to the life and service of Cpl. Davis.