Funeral held for Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik
PATERSON, N.J. -- Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik, who died by suicide last Tuesday, was laid to rest on Wednesday.
Family, friends, fellow officers, and Gov. Phil Murphy were among those in attendance.
In all, hundreds came to say their final goodbyes to Berdnik at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Paterson.
The funeral was held at the same cathedral where the sheriff's own grandson was baptized last year.
On Wednesday, his daughter read from the "Book of Wisdom."
"For his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore he sped him out of the midst of wickedness," Ashley Jaramillo said.
Law enforcement sources said the 64-year-old died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a bathroom at Toros restaurant in Clifton.
At the funeral, the pastor who knew Berdnik well addressed suicide with comforting words to the sheriff's wife.
"When someone has taken his life ... those who have loved him most dearly can be most angry and confused," Msgr. Geno Sylva said. "For as we read in the catechism of the Catholic Church, Monica, we should not despair. The church prays for persons who have taken their own life. Suicides have gone up 30% in the last 10 years. Are we courageous enough to do something with our justified anger?"
Berdnik leaves behind his wife, Monica, four adult children and five grandchildren.
READ MORE: Loved ones, community members gather to say goodbye to Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik
Law enforcement officers and political leaders from around New Jersey came to pay their respects to Berdnik, who became sheriff in 2011 after retiring from the Clifton Police Department.
"It has been kind of challenging throughout the state. The Sheriff's Association has really taken a big hit with this one," Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton said.
"It's a huge loss. We were just saying that this a hole or a wound that's not going to heal soon," Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco said.
"Today was beautiful and I hope it's the beginning of an opportunity to heal," another person said.