Warsaw’s Drake Price receives a hero’s goodbye in police-led funeral procession

WARSAW, Ind. (WNDU) - Folks from every corner of the Warsaw community came out to honor the life of 16-year-old Drake Price who served as an inspiration to others during his recovery from several brain surgeries back in 2017.

He unexpectedly passed away on Friday but today, the community had one last chance to say goodbye.

Drake had a special connection with several police departments in the Hoosier State, but those aren’t the only ones saying they were lucky to have met this brave young man.

While many spent their last moments with Drake at the funeral service held early Wednesday morning, several others had theirs watching the funeral procession escorting Drake on one last tour of his hometown.

Some of the people remembering the 16-year-old from the side of the road never even met Drake, but they sure know who he is.

Drake’s passing wasn’t lost on the law enforcement community with officers from Warsaw to Indianapolis taking part in the funeral procession that passed by some of Drake’s favorite places including the Warsaw Police Department.

This video is from 2019 when Senator Todd Young made Drake an honorary member of the U.S. Capitol Police, and among the people there for that moment were some who didn’t want to miss their last chance to celebrate Drake on Wednesday.

In third grade, I was actually one of his assistants at school, and he just had an enthusiasm for life. We were talking today at the funeral--Joy. That’s the one word I can use to describe Drake--joyful. He was a good boy, a good good boy,” said one of the assistants in Drake’s 3rd-grade class, Lisa Valentine.

Even though his passion was for policing, he still drew support from EMS workers and firefighters alike.

His story is so well known, some of the first responders saying goodbye today never even met the 16-year-old.

“I didn’t know him personally, but I knew he was an honorary police officer of the [Warsaw] Police Department. EMS, fire, and police are a family, and we support each other. I’ve been at this for 37 years and we always support each other. That’s what we’re showing today,” said EMS worker Keith Robbins.

Not only was Drake an honorary police officer in Warsaw, but departments as far away as D.C. and Australia also recognized him with honorary spots on their rosters.

Even though the titles were just superficial, the impact he had on his fellow officers could be more real.

“He had this tumor and he had a few other health issues. He had to fight through it, come back again, go through another surgery, or have another bad day. It taught me I can endure, I can push on, and when we’re going through our tough times just keep working and keep making sure our community stays safe,” said Corporal Roy Navarro from the Warsaw Police Department.

And even though Drake is no longer with us, his legacy lives on in those who serve.

Joining the Warsaw Police were officers from Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department and the Indianapolis Police Department.

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