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Memorial Honors Held For Deputy, Dowdy
Memorial pix
Pastor Jonathan Forrest of Riverbank United Pentecostal Church, second from left, leads a memorial at the flagpole in Plaza del Rio Park in downtown. The event recognized both the passing of City Parks Maintenance Supervisor Tim Dowdy, who died the week before in a traffic accident, and Sheriffs Deputy Dennis Wallace, who was gunned down in Hughson. Police Services Chief Erin Kiely is on the far left. Ric McGinnis/The News

An impromptu memorial was organized by a local pastor and Riverbank Police Services to celebrate the lives of two local employees.

Pastor Jonathan Forrest and his wife Beth, of the Riverbank United Pentecostal Church, got the ball rolling on social media, setting the stage for the event, held last Monday, Nov. 14 in front of the flag pole in the Plaza del Rio Park downtown.

It was estimated that 40 to 50 people attended the informal memorial service.

Pastor Forrest spoke about Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy Dennis Wallace, who was killed in the line of duty in Hughson on Sunday, Nov. 13. Riverbank Police Services Chief Erin Kiely, meanwhile, spoke about Riverbank Parks Maintenance Supervisor Tim Dowdy, who was killed in a late night traffic accident the week before.

Wallace was also remembered with a Cowboys Honor Ride through the streets of Hughson on Sunday, where the only sound was the clip clop of the horses’ hooves. A memorial service for Deputy Wallace was scheduled for 11 a.m. yesterday, Nov. 22, in Modesto.

A city organized remembrance in honor of Dowdy was set for the Bi-Centennial Grove in Jacob Myers Park, with a tree planting, assisted by Morris Nursery, on Monday, Nov. 21.