There are some milestones that as a parent you can’t ignore. Like when your baby takes their first step, or when they utter the first word, and, of course, their first day of school.
Kevin Stolinski would have given his all to see his beloved daughter, Anna, go to school for the first time. He would have absolutely loved to be right by her side when she got ready, got in the car, and eventually entered her kindergarten classroom.
Sadly, Lt. Stolinski could not attend his 5-year-old’s special day as he passed away last November.
As local news sources revealed, the officer died after suffering “a medical emergency” while on patrol.
Kevin Stolinski, a 20-year veteran detective with La Vergne Police Department, after being deployed as a Seabee in the Navy, in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005 and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2009.
Everyone in the local community admired the 44-year-old officer. It seems that he was not only a cop to rely on, but he was also very active when it came to social events in the community.
“He was one of the best of us. He was always fighting to make things better for others. It wasn’t for him. He was always fighting for others and trying to improve any situation, whether at work or in life,” La Vergne Mayor said at the time. “Kevin was known and loved in this community. Everyone knew him. He was at every event. He was at the parades. He was at every city event. He wasn’t just a police officer.”
A few days ago, his 5-year-old daughter, Anna, went to school for the first time, but he was not there to escort her.
Thankfully, the little girl and her mom had Kevin’s fellow officers support them in this new beginning.
Little Anna was accompanied by numerous officers to Lancaster Christian Academy in Smyrna, and before getting to the main entrance, she made sure to give every single officer a high five and even had a brief chat with some of them.
Still, much as these cops made her feel safe and taken care of, she still missed her dad on that special day. As she admitted in an interview with Inside Edition, she couldn’t hold back her tears as she was thinking of her father.
“Dad made me want to cry,” she confessed. “He’s so special and he’s just kind […] I wish I could see him again.”
Anna’s mom, Casey, is thankful to her husband’s colleagues who are still there for her and her daughter. She really appreciates their support and she thanked them in public during the interview.
“It was a very special day,” she said, “all those officers who came out to support the memory of my husband.”
It is really heartwarming to know that, even though Casey and Anna lost a precious member of their family, his memory is still survived by not only them, but also by his colleagues who admired him and consider him an example for others to follow.
Watch the special moment when Anna gave high fives to the cops in the video below.
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