NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Author's Note: The above video is on file from Jan. 6, 2022.
A special service is being held Monday afternoon in honor of one of the Newport News Police Department's longest members.
His obituary says a memorial service for Gerald "Jerry" Loose will be held Jan. 10 at 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church on Warwick Boulevard.
Loose, 54, died on Dec. 19 from COVID-19.
He was from New York had joined the Newport News Police Department in 1994, a few years after graduating from Mansfield University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
The community is coming together to honor Loose and all that he did to help others.
One local restaurant, My Neighbor's Pub on Jefferson Avenue, said it will be closed Monday from 2 to 6 p.m. for its staff to attend the celebration of life service.
According to his obituary, Loose's promotion to sergeant happened in 2000. Around that time, Loose was mentoring other young officers.
His family remembered him as "the light in the room at every function," a friend to many, and an impressive chef and handyman.
Officials said masks will be required at the service, and instead of sending flowers, the family is requesting people to donate to Lauren's First and Goal Foundation.