Funeral services were held Saturday for a retired Chicago police officer who was fatally shot during a robbery attempt on the city’s West Side.
Mourners paid tribute and said their final goodbyes to Larry Neuman at Michael Missionary Baptist Church in West Garfield Park.
Many described Neuman as a pillar in his community, owing to his service as a minister.
“We’re here to celebrate the life of one who served his country, one who served his community, one who served his family, one who served his church,” one pastor said.
The beloved father and husband served in the Vietnam War before becoming one of the first Black bomb technicians and the longest serving explosives specialist in the history of the Chicago Police Department.
Neuman was working for TSA at Midway International Airport before his life was taken.
“His ultimate passing is a great loss to us all,” one police commander said. “His work, his vision, it will be hard to replicate.”
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Elected leaders attending Saturday's services also reflected on Neuman’s life.
“Larry was homegrown, did everything that he did in the community,” U.S. Congressman Danny Davis said. “We owe reverend Neuman, officer Neuman, bomb technician Neuman a debt of gratitude for staying here, being here, and working here.”
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Close friends told NBC Chicago he did everything with passion, helping to mentor and inspire teens and spreading the word of the Gospel.
“He would get up and speak and he could get you excited because he was so enthusiastic for his love of the Lord,” Neuman's friend Jewel Martin Smith said.
“It’s hard to fill his shoes, but we’re hoping that somebody will see his loss and step in and just pick up where he left off,” Elbert Henderson, a deacon at Neuman's church said.
Neuman would have turned 74 on July 25, and is survived by 27 grandchildren and 40 great-grand children. He will be laid to rest in Hillside.
