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Dan Kerstetter's wife says she'll still send him memes "in case they have Instagram in heaven"
Dan Kerstetter's wife, Catherine Taylor Kerstetter, spoke on Friday during his funeral where she detailed his life and their time as a couple. She also made a promise -- that she would continue to send him memes on Instagram.
On Friday, hundreds of Michigan State Police troopers and officers arrived in Grosse Pointe Farms to honor the life and service of Motor Carrier Officer Dan Kerstetter for his funeral.
The parking lot of St. Paul Catholic Church and Lake Shore Drive were all full of MSP cars for the funeral of Dan Kerstetter, who was killed in action a week ago during a traffic stop with a semi-truck on I-75 when he was rear-ended.
Friday afternoon, Kerstetter was reported to be both coherent and speaking. But over the weekend, Kerstetter was put on life support and his organs were ultimately recovered to be donated. He died early Monday morning.
He was remembered for his service to the state of Michigan by MSP Col. James Grady II. He was also remembered by his wife, Katie Taylor Kerstetter, for their years together. She thanked the troopers who came in for the funeral and the first responders who did everything they could to help her husband.
"He was so proud - so proud - to be a part of MSP family," Katie said.
Troopers from across the state and nation arrived in Michigan to honor Kerstetter's life. She said her husband would have been impressed with this show of support.
"He would be so in awe and impressed and just think this was the coolest thing ever. So I pray to God he is looking down and he can see all of this. Thank you just for making that long trip to honor my husband," she said.
Saying her husband, who she called Danny, was the writer in the family, Katie said she had a box full of love letters and cards from him through the years and that
"He is the love of my life and we overcame so much in the first year that we were together. Our love just grew stronger through it all and with the birth of our children. The secret to our success was quite simple. We were best friends. We never took ourselves too seriously. We communicated. We laughed both at each other and ourselves. Things weren't always so rosy. We had our fights, but we knew how to say I'm sorry,"
Katie said she tested beauty products from her business on him and believed he secretly enjoyed the attention when she put them on Instagram.
"I could stand here for hours just telling you stories of what an amazing person he was," she said. "He was, most importantly, the best husband and the best father. And that is all he wanted to be," she said.
Their relationship was a close one and she said they preferred to stay home than go out to eat and they would share photos on Instagram while laying in bed next to each other. That's something she said she won't stop.
"We were that corny couple who sat in bed next to each other and sent a million memes on Instagram to see how much the other would laugh. And I'm still going to flood your inbox with those memes in case they have Instagram in heaven," she said.
Katie said Dan began talking about being a police officer back in 2021.
"I told him I would support him in whatever he does. A life of service is something to be proud of. It's a thankless job," Katie said.
She recalled his time applying for MSP and eventually joining the academy. Before he left for the academy, they were married in front of a judge.
It was tough not speaking to her husband all week long and, on weekends when he was home, she said he struggled to leave. She stood by him and encouraged him to continue chasing his dream.
"That first weekend home, he cried with tears of happiness when he got into his car and he called me. As you know, those weekends went by so fast and saying goodbye on those Sundays was painful. He didn't want to go back. He missed us, his kids, so much. And he will probably haunt me for telling you all this. But he cried a lot and I told him that he could do it," Katie said.
The emotional 12-minute speech concluded with Katie detailing a screenshot that was on his phone from when they lost their daughter, Regan. She read it out loud for the church to hear.
"As I sit in heaven and watch over you every day, I try to let you know with signs I never went away. I hear you when you're laughing And I watch you when you sleep. I even placed my arms around you to calm you as you weep. I see you wish the days away. Begging to have me home. So I try to send you signs. So you are not alone. Don't feel guilty that you have life that was denied to me. Heaven is truly beautiful. Just you wait and see. So live your life. Be free. And know that every breath you take. You'll be taking one for me."