Officer Ronald William Smith - New York Mills Police Dept. - MN - True Life Hero

Ronald William Smith
- Dec. 15, 2021 -

(30795)

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New York Mills Police Dept. Patch

Resided:	Rural Browerville MN, USA
Born:	May. 16, 1963
Fallen:	Dec. 15, 2021
Race/Sex:	Caucasian Male / 58 yrs. of age
	Agency
Dept:	New York Mills Police Dept. - MN 118 Main Ave New York Mills, MN 56567 USA (218)385-2600
County:	Otter Tail
Dept. Type:	Municipal/Police
Hero's Rank:	Officer
Sworn Date:	Unk
FBI Class:	Death - Biological
Weapon Class:	COVID-19
Agency URL:	Click Here
Badge:	151
On The Job:	14 years

Bio: Ronald William Smith was born in North Hollywood, CA, the son of Harold Smith and Jeraldine(Chinberg) Callahan. After graduating from high school in California, Ron purchased a one-way bus ticket to Alaska, eager to explore.

It was while attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks that Ron met two of his best friends, his Savior Jesus Christ and Janet Callis. Ron and Janet fell in love and were united in marriage on July 8, 1989. When considering leaving Alaska in 1999, moving somewhere that did not have hockey was not an option. Ron was an avid player and spectator, passing that love on to his family. And where better than the 'warmth' of Minnesota, the State of Hockey. Their marriage was blessed with three children, Dustin, A. J., and Carly, along with many memories, laughs, tears� and animals.

Ron was a member of the Alaska National Guard and the Minnesota National Guard. He always had a heart that believed in serving others. He obtained a degree in criminal justice, working for many years as a probation officer. Ron got to a point in his life where he was ready to go after a dream he always had; he wanted to be a police officer.

He finished his skills training at Central Lakes College and started a passion-filled career working for the Eagle Bend, Perham, Wadena, Motley and New York Mills Departments. He loved sharing his passion�and his stories � with fellow officers and anyone else he happened to encounter! Being the outgoing person that he was, he only met a stranger once, leaving the conversation as a friend. He preferred to work the night shift as he relished in the different activity and crowd that came out. His photographic memory was a hindrance to many assailants and made him the extraordinary cop that he was.

Ron also had a love for taking pictures of God�s amazing creation. Every day at Tanglewood Ranch started with coffee and then down to the barn, always with his camera in tow, to enjoy the company of Emmit the very tall horse, and Jack-Jack the mini donkey. Before finishing his morning �'chores' he would fill 15 bird feeders, making sure to drop plenty on the ground for the gray squirrels. Daily pictures were posted on social media of his beloved animals and beautiful scenery on the farm.

He attended multiple bible studies, learning, and sharing his deep faith with others. He also could randomly be found having weightlifting challenges with his nephew, Ben. Ron, Janet, and the kids spent lots of their time with Janet�s parents, working on the farm and making memories together. As the years went by, Ron became so special to Janet�s parents, being referred to as their son-in-love, cherished like their own son. Ron was known as 'PoPo' to his grand kids, his fifth being born just eight hours after he stepped into eternity. His legacy will live on in their hearts and the many others that his path crossed during his all-to-brief stay here on earth.

Survived by:

Janet - Wife
& three children

Fatal Incident Summary

Offender:	No Info
Location:	MN USA Tue. Nov. 09, 2021
Summary:	Officer Ronald Smith died as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. ==================================================================== COVID-19, a flu-like virus, originated in Wuhan, China. Worth a mention, the Chinese Government had a biological research facility in that very province. At this point, it was widely held that COVID-19 was a bat-coronavirus and the first case was discovered in Wuhan in Oct. 2019. On Dec. 31, 2019, Chinese authorities alerted the World Health Organization of pneumonia cases in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China, with an unknown cause. Jan 7, 2020 Chinese authorities identify a new type of coronavirus (called novel coronavirus or nCoV). Despite deaths and an entire Chinese Province(Hubei) quarantined by the Chinese Government, the World Health Organization(WHO) simply declares a global public-health emergency. Despite this serious understatement, on January 31st, President Trump bans foreign nationals from entering the US if they were in China within the prior two weeks. Despite a large public outcry of racism, this move likely saved 1000's of American lives, it would later be deemed. After a full blown global infection, and an entire country being declared on 'Lockdown'(Italy), on March 11th, WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic. This same day, President Trump bans all travel from 26 European countries. On Mar. 13th, a US national emergency is declared over the novel coronavirus outbreak. On Mar. 23rd, New York City confirms 21,000 cases, making it the biggest epicenter of the outbreak in the US. On Mar. 31, more than 1/3 of humanity is under some form of lockdown. On Apr. 2nd, the world passes one million COVID-19 infections. On April 7th, roughly 95% of all Americans are under lockdown, as 42 states issue stay-at-home orders. The entire American economy has ground to a halt. Congress passed laws awarding trillions in grants, loans and other types of assistance to the American working population and businesses.
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Last Updated: Feb. 11, 2022