Stacy Tommes of Woodbury sets a rose she painted blue into a bucket as members of Backing the Blue, a non-profit group of law enforcement wives, prepare 4000 roses for the the Wednesday memorial service for Burnsville first responders, killed in the line of duty, at Savage Fire Station No. 1 in Savage on Tuesday Feb. 23, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
With steady hands and a circular motion, women used spraypaint to coat the top of white roses — turning them red or blue — as they gathered at a Savage fire station Tuesday.
For around seven hours, the police officers’ wives from around Minnesota readied 4,000 roses for Wednesday’s memorial service for two Burnsville police officers and a firefighter killed in the line of duty. The effort is about more than the roses, which they’ll hand out to people in attendance at the service.
They want the recipients to know: “We’re thinking about them. We’re there with them. We support them,” said Shanna McArthur, fallen officer memorial rose director for Backing the Blue Line, a Minnesota nonprofit of law enforcement spouses and significant others.
The flowers are the most that the nonprofit has prepared for a funeral, reflecting the magnitude of the tragedy — the worst line-of-duty killings in the state in people’s memory. Thousands are expected to show their respects at the memorial service.
Backing the Blue Line usually prepares blue flowers and, for the first time, made red flowers to represent the fire service.
Buckets of roses painted red and blue are ready as members of Backing the Blue, a non-profit group of law enforcement wives, prepare 4000 roses for the the Wednesday memorial service for Burnsville first responders, killed in the line of duty, at Savage Fire Station No. 1 in Savage on Tuesday Feb. 23, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Burnsville firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth, 40, was fatally shot as he tried to aid Burnsville officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand, both 27.
Shannon Gooden opened fire on them “without warning” as police tried to get him to surrender peacefully on Feb. 18, authorities have said. He also injured Burnsville police Sgt. Adam Medlicott, who has been released from the hospital.
‘Good for the soul’
The preparation of the flowers is a time of bonding for the women who gathered Tuesday at the fire station.
The women worked in groups: After taking the leaves and thorns off the roses and putting the stems in individual tubes with water, they spraypainted them. Then, they tied a tag on each one that says: “Forever in our hearts” and includes Finseth, Ruge and Elmstrand’s badge numbers.
Backing the Blue Line had about 60 volunteer spots open for Tuesday’s flower preparation and they filled up within an hour, said McArthur, whose husband is a St. Paul police officer. People traveled from as far as Grand Rapids, Minn., and southern Minnesota.
“We do this because at any given time, it could be us,” McArthur said. “We can get together and mourn together, but also do something that we know is going to help give comfort to the families.”
Some of the women have been on the other side with Backing the Blue Line providing blue flowers for their husbands’ funerals.
DiAnn Valentino’s husband, Ron, was a Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy who died in 2017. Valentino, who is Backing the Blue Line’s family support director, was at the fire station Tuesday to prepare roses.
“When my husband passed away, they did roses for his funeral and it was this amazing support from these amazing women that just made all the difference,” she said.
Samatha Wilkes counts the number of finished roses as members of Backing the Blue, a non-profit group of law enforcement wives, prepare 4000 roses for the the Wednesday memorial service for Burnsville first responders, killed in the line of duty, at Savage Fire Station No. 1 in Savage on Tuesday Feb. 23, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
As they work on the flowers, the women talk and listen to each other, including about how they’re affected by the killings of Finseth, Ruge and Elmstrand. “It’s comforting to be with other women who understand,” Valentino said. “It’s good for the soul.”
A. Johnson & Sons Florist in St. Paul dropped off two vanloads of the roses to the fire station Tuesday.
The flowers are white mondial roses from Ecuador — “they’re a premium rose, they’re very thick and full” and the thickness of the petals allows the paint to only be on the top layer, said Ani Eoloff, A. Johnson & Sons general manager. They provided the flowers to Backing the Blue Line at a discount of over 50 percent, she said.
“It was a little bit of a challenge” to get all the flowers in a short amount of time, but they were able to work with several farms to acquire them, Eoloff said.
Members of Backing the Blue Line will hand out the flowers to the Burnsville police and fire department members, along with their families, and also to first responders from other agencies, McArthur said.
What to know for Wednesday’s memorial service
The joint, public memorial service is at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Grace Church, 9301 Eden Prairie Road in Eden Prairie.
Officials are expecting thousands of attendees at the church and, at the families’ wishes, family and public safety personnel will be seated first.
The public is encouraged to gather to watch the live broadcast of the service at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 13801 Fairview Drive in Burnsville. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Live video and audio of the 11 a.m. Wednesday memorial service will be available at grace.live and youtube.com/gracechurchmn.
A procession after the memorial service is expected to start about 2 p.m. and last several hours. The route can be viewed here.
Traffic delays and congestion should be expected throughout Eden Prairie most of Wednesday, especially near Grace Church, according to the city.
For members of the public who want to attempt to attend the memorial service in person, overflow parking and bus transportation will be provided at Miller Park and Staring Lake Park, both in Eden Prairie, starting at 9 a.m. and until the church is at capacity.
The Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 canceled school on Wednesday, saying it was “due to planned road closures and expected impacts to transportation throughout the area.”
‘One big family’: Law enforcement, firefighters from other agencies handling Burnsville’s emergency calls
‘Unprecedented attendance’ expected for Wednesday’s memorial service for 3 Burnsville first responders
Families of slain Burnsville first responders share about their tragic losses
Here’s what people are leaving at a Burnsville memorial for the slain first responders
Killings of Burnsville first responders happened at time of increased assaults on law enforcement
