Hail and Farewell to Chief

Everyone said he would have been embarrassed by the crowds and worried about how long the service was taking, but they all agreed that Anaheim Police Chief Randall Gaston would have appreciated the tradition.

Nearly 2,000 mourners gathered in the Crystal Cathedral on Wednesday morning to pay final respects to Gaston. The 34-year veteran of the force died at age 54 during a lunchtime run last Thursday.

The police ceremony for a fallen officer--scores of uniformed officers from throughout the region standing at attention with white-gloved hands in salute, the bagpiper playing a mournful “Amazing Grace,” the seemingly endless procession of flashing lights on patrol cars--was punctuated by private sorrow.

Some of those speaking at the service talked directly to his widow, Linda, a psychologist with the Anaheim Unified School District.

“Shed tears, but not bitter tears,” the Rev. Robert H. Schuller told her at the start of the service. “One of the reasons he was such an honorable, wonderful man is because of Linda--the kind of woman you are and the kind of wife you have been.”

Sitting in the front row, surrounded by family members, Linda Gaston also laughed at the stories recounting her husband’s love of the one-liner.

The Rev. Bryan Crow, an Anaheim police chaplain known for his rumpled look, told of the time his friend got him good before a swearing-in ceremony.

“A couple of officers were trying to straighten me out before the ceremony started and I saw Randy start heading toward me from across the room,” Crow said. “When he got there he said, ‘When I was away from you, I thought that your uniform was wrinkled. Now that I am close, I can see that it is your body.’ ”

Gaston’s sudden death was a shock to many. He was a committed runner and had seemed in good physical condition at a medical exam not long ago. He was appointed chief of police after his predecessor, Joseph T. Molloy, died of a heart attack in 1993 while preparing for a run. Molloy also was 54 at the time of his death.

Born in Lake Charles, La., Gaston moved with his family to California when he was still a boy. He joined the motorcycle unit of the Anaheim police in 1965 and rose through the ranks. Along the way, he earned a master’s degree in public administration from USC and became an avid Trojan sports fan.

At the funeral, the focus was on Gaston’s years of service and devotion to his job.

“He just wanted to do the job and do it right,” said retired Anaheim Police Sgt. Craig Farrow as he choked back tears. “The stature of a man should not be judged by the position he attains in life but the life he leads on the way to getting there.”

He was a man who never cussed, friends said. They remembered him as a devout Christian, but one who didn’t proselytize.

A mammoth American flag hanging from the rafters of the cathedral provided the backdrop for the flag-draped coffin and several dozen flower arrangements. One wreath read: “Our Dad and Grandpa.”

Through family friend Wayne Piercy, Gaston’s four children offered memories of their father.

Eldest daughter Debbie said she would remember him teaching her two young children to ice skate. Sons Aaron and Bryan said their father always supported them in anything they did. Daughter Allison, who will graduate from college this spring, said she will remember “his whistle, his laughs and his hugs.”

At Pacific View Memorial Park in Newport Beach, where the sun broke through the morning overcast and a chill ocean breeze blew, a police chaplain gave the final blessings before the casket was lowered.

Just yards away, the police flag flew at half-staff at the Garden of Valor, a black marble memorial to men and women who have served their country.

Farrow earlier had urged everyone to go home and tell someone important in their lives how much they loved them.

“Years ago I thought you couldn’t say ‘I love you’ to someone who wasn’t in your family,” he said, his voice cracking. “But Randy taught me that wasn’t true.”