Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham will be laid to rest Friday following a service at the First Baptist Church of Ocala.
There will be outdoor seating in the baseball field area of the church and the service will be broadcast onto a large screen. The live stream of the service also will be shown on the Ocala Police Department’s website and via social media for those who want to watch from home. Click HERE for the police department’s website and HERE for its Facebook page.
Graham was killed late Sunday morning when the single-engine plane he was piloting crashed in an open field near Dunnellon. He was the only occupant of the aircraft and no one else was injured in the crash.
The chief’s body was returned to Ocala on Tuesday morning with a police escort from the Medical Examiner’s office in Leesburg. He was taken to Hiers-Baxley funeral home in a procession that traveled past saluting officers and other bystanders outside the police department’s headquarters on Pine Avenue.
Those attending Friday’s service are being asked to wear masks, practice sanitation measures and maintain social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be specific seating areas for family, law enforcement/uniformed personnel, dignitaries and the public. There is a capacity limit at the church because of the pandemic.
Following the service, Graham will be interred in Melrose during a private ceremony for family members and close friends.