NEW YORK _ Laura Seals, flanked by her devastated sons Adrian and Ethan, stood weeping outside a Jersey City church as her hero husband's too-soon funeral drew to its devastating conclusion.
Family patriarch Joseph Seals, a widely respected detective and 15-year veteran of the Jersey City police, was recalled fondly at a Tuesday morning funeral Mass before an overflow crowd of mourners on a cold and rainy day that matched the somber mood.
"It really hurts us to know that we won't be able to enjoy any more time with him," said his stepson Adrian, whose poignant eulogy drew a standing ovation. "We all loved him in our own ways, and we all looked up to him as an inspiration. But now, he will always be looking down at us. He will forever be remembered as an American hero, making the ultimate sacrifice."
At the service's end, Adrian stood holding his mother's hand as Ethan _ wearing his father's police hat and oversized white gloves _ raised his right hand in a silent salute.
The veteran cop's American flag-draped casket arrived through the downpour at the venerable St. Aedan's Church as Jersey City was packed with cops from around the state and along the East Coast in bidding farewell to the officer killed Dec. 10.
Seals became the first of four victims killed in a sudden and shocking terror attack targeting the city's police and its Jewish residents.
"He was a caring son, devoted brother, loving husband to Laura, and proud father," said his old JCPD partner Ed Redmond. "The end of Joe's life doesn't conclude what he means to them. Nor does it cease the impact he had in their lives."
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, in his eulogy, told the mourners that Seals' legacy of life and work both reflected the excellence that became a standard of life both on and off the job.
"The one thing I can share is that he left us the same way he served Jersey City _ being one of the best police officers we had," said Fulop. "There's zero doubt in my mind that Joe Seals saved countless lives on Dec. 10. Had he not been doing what he was doing that day, the tragedy would have been far worse.
"And that's why we consistently call him a hero."
Visiting police officers, who arrived from a number of neighboring states and across New Jersey, saluted the passing casket in a driving rain preceding the service. U.S. Attorney General William Barr was among the public servants attending the service, but he did not speak.
Halfway through the Mass, a pipe and drum unit performed an emotional version of "Amazing Grace" _ the music echoing inside the silent church.
The 40-year-old father of five was the first person killed in the rampage through Jersey City. Seals, who worked with a team in removing guns from city streets, was previously described as "the ultimate detective" by Jersey City Director of Public Safety James Shea.
The detective was gunned down at a cemetery about one mile from the kosher supermarket where three more people were executed by the heavily armed killers, identified by law enforcement as David Anderson and Francine Graham. Seals spotted the couple with a stolen U-Haul van, and was fatally shot before the gunmen headed toward the Jewish-owned business to continue the hate-fueled slaughter.
