The piercing wail of sirens punctuated the overcast, brisk morning sky today as patrol vehicles led the way of Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon’s funeral procession outside of the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Detroit.
It was a fitting, heroic official start to the send-off service for the man who impacted the Black community in many ways. Many people close to him noted his impact in their lives during the service.
Pastor Tellis Chapman of Galilee Detroit led the respectable size crowd in prayer and made mention of the kind of man Napoleon, who died from COVID-19 recently, was.
“We gather together today not to mourn his death but to celebrate his life,” Chapman said, adding that he thanks God for providing the community with a man like Napoleon who “could kill hatred without firing a shot.”
“Who could defeat discrimination without dispatching backup … and one who could police any race of people without being guilty of racial profiling,” Chapman said. “Thank you, God, for putting character in a police uniform.”
Napoleon lost his lengthy battle with COVID-19 due to complications from the virus in the late evening hours on Dec. 17, officials confirmed.
Napoleon, 65, described as a pillar in the community, a devoted public servant, family man, and friend, was diagnosed with COVID-19 last month. According to a published report, the sheriff’s office announced Napoleon’s diagnosis on Nov. 19, and he was hospitalized the following day.
According to the report, the sheriff was placed on a ventilator on Nov. 27 to keep his energy as he was having difficulty breathing.
Chapman went into great detail powerfully describing Napoleon’s larger-than-life nature and demeanor, saying that the public servant is with the Lord now where he doesn’t have to worry about tears or tear gas, or the pandemic. He added that the nation and county is better because of him.
“For the difference he made our nation is only better now, our state is stronger now, our countries are safer now because you gave us Benny,” Chapman said in his prayer. “We now know that he rests in peace without pain … without sickness, living with you where there is no danger; no crime, no violence.”
Nearly 3,000 people were watching online during the live stream via Swanson Funeral Home. Hundreds of comments and over a thousand reactions came in from people who remarked on Napoleon’s noble life.
Pastor Welton Smith of New Life Family Church officiated the funeral service today and said that Napoleon “made all of our lives better.”
“Give God praise for his life, his legacy; for his investment for his selflessness,” he said. “To God be the glory. … Somebody celebrate God for the life of Sheriff Benny Napoleon today.”
Smith added that Napoleon’s daughter, Tiffani Jackson has shared her father with all of us for so long.
“We honor her with her sacrifice and strength,” he said.
Laval Perry, Napoleon’s oldest friend spoke during a video clip at the funeral about his friendship with Napoleon.
“He was admired by many — a man of integrity,” he said, adding that Napoleon had a rock-solid character. “I was fortunate to see those characteristics materialize right before my eyes. [He was a] true friend you could always depend on … [and] good basketball player who could barely touch the rim. … Whenever we would talk he would always call me ‘big bro’ due to the love and trust we had for each other.”
Napoleon’s daughter, Tiffani Jackson, said that her father was “the greatest of all time.”
“Pastor Chapman in his prayer embodied what his life was what his legacy is,” Jackson said of her father. “I shared my father with a lot of people — there was never a moment I lacked anything or I felt neglected. So many of you are here to honor … your friend, your brother, your son, your loved one, your colleague. But I am here today to honor my father — I knew him in a way that not many people did … he was my personal Google … my therapist, my counselor, my comedian and he was my ride or die. I would often joke with him and say. ‘Daddy you know we are all we got.’ That is how deep the bond him and I shared. There is nothing we would not do for one another. …. I knew that he stood for all things right … he tried very very hard to … treat everybody right. … My life will forever be incomplete from this day forward … you cannot replace a bond like this. The bond he and I shared was made in heaven and it is a bond that will continue when I get there.”
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