By Rachel Lippmann, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – For the third time in less than three months, first responders in the St. Louis area gathered for the funeral of a fallen officer.
St. Louis police officer Danielle Livingston died Christmas Eve, six months after her patrol car crashed, leaving her paralyzed.
Livingston attended the Cathedral School and Rosati-Kain High School, both near the Cathedral Basilica where today's Mass was celebrated.
Monsignor Joseph Pins, the rector at the Basilica, told the mourners it was evident that Livingston had lived by her Catholic faith.
"Not the least of which is because she has taken on the combat of evil in service to other, acknowledging that each one is willed and loved," he said.
Captain Mary Warnecke, Livingston's commander at the Second District, said Livingston always had a smile on her face, even when the captain would visit her at a rehab facility after the accident.
"It is that smile, that joy of life, that I want to take away with me today," she said. "Thank you Danielle for reminding me of the beauty of each day."
Livingston had started walking again three months after the accident, and had been living at home until December 14th, when she became unconscious. She suffered from severe asthma, which may have contributed to her death -an autopsy will determine the final cause.
Livingston was engaged to a fellow St. Louis police officer and leaves behind two young sons.