BLUFFTON, Ohio — Bluffton police officer Dominic Francis will be laid to rest Friday, April 8, according to an obituary published Monday.
Francis was killed during a police chase on March 31. He was attempting to lay stop strips on the interstate when he was struck by the suspects' car.
Visitation will be held on from 3:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Thursday at the Cory-Rawson High School Auditorium. A Funeral Service will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the Sommer Center at Bluffton University.
Doors to the Sommer Center will open at 9 a.m. Friday. The university expects 4,000 to 5,000 attendees, including law enforcement/first responders from across the country.
Seating in the Sommer Center will be available on a first come, first served basis. Overflow seating will be in Founders Gym and Yoder Recital Hall, also on Bluffton’s campus.
The following Bluffton roads will be closed to traffic starting at 8 a.m. to accommodate a motorcade: Bentley Road from Augsburger Road to Columbus Grove-Bluffton Road/Grove Street and Elm Street from Bentley Road to Main Street.
Parking on campus will be limited to university faculty, staff and students and law enforcement/first responders. Bluffton residents planning to attend the funeral are asked to walk to the service. Parking for all others will be limited to street parking throughout the village.
The burial will follow in Clymer Cemetery in Mt. Cory. Following the funeral, a procession of law enforcement officers and first responders will depart for Clymer Cemetery.
All are welcome to pay their respects along the route, with the procession to begin at approximately 12:30 p.m. Vehicles will turn right out of the Sommer Center parking lot onto Elm Street and then left on Main Street/County Road 313 in Bluffton to Cory-Rawson School. The procession will make a loop through the bus entrance and parking lot and will proceed back to County Road 313. The route will turn right on State Route 235 and through Mt. Cory with the procession continuing north to Township Road 37 and to Clymer Cemetery, where the burial will be private. All are welcome to line the route to pay their respects to Officer Francis.
Anyone who wishes to offer condolences or send flowers to the family can do so online here.
For those who want to donate, memorial contributions can be sent to the FOP Lodge 20 Foundation at PO Box 1335, Findlay, OH 45840.
"This helps make it easier for people who want to donate to the family, who want to support them. Having a centralized location for them to be able to collect those funds. And it helps to cut down, sadly, on the instances of fraud that pop up in situations like this," Teresa White, development director for the Fort Findlay FOP Lodge 20 Foundation, said.
Francis is survived by his wife, Ricki Davis; their son, Blake; and daughter, Taylor, as well as both of his parents and numerous members of his extended family.
The 42-year-old served in the Findlay Police Department and Hancock County Sheriff's Office before joining the Bluffton Police Department, where he stayed for 11 years.
During that time, Francis was awarded the Officer of the Year award, multiple Letters of Commendation, The Chief’s Leadership Award and a Bluffton Police Department, among others.
He was also recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers as Top Cop and earned the Ohio EMS, Star of Life multiple times.
According to an obituary published by Coldren Crates, Francis was very involved at Cory-Rawson High School ,where he was a strength and conditioning coach, football coach, substitute teacher and bus driver.