BLUFFTON, Ohio — Ask anyone in Bluffton and they'll tell you a story about Officer Dominic Francis.
"He was very focused on safety for all but then also had a great joking side to him as well," Kelly Bowlus, the Bluffton University vice president of advancement, said.
"He often staffed our football games, provided security because he loved to watch our team play and other teams as well. He was a familiar face at our football games. He was a special guy to our campus community in many ways."
Bowlus remembers officer Francis protecting and serving. She says Francis had a connection to the students and athletes, right up to the day he died.
"We're just really honored to help and serve the police department in this way and the Francis family," Bowlus said.
"We have a criminal justice program and our students often done ride-alongs with officer Francis. Many students have connections with him and of course the entire Bluffton Police Department."
Now it's the university's turn to serve as the site of Friday's funeral service.
For former mayor Fred Rodabaugh, this community is family. He says the village of Bluffton and Cory-Rawson schools are one-and-the-same, and a loss like this hits hard.
"Any loss of personnel in the community hits pretty hard. These people have lived here all their lives; their parents, grandparents," Rodabaugh said.
"It does affect a large percentage of the community when something like this happens. You figure you're in a small community; everybody's safe. Well, we're safe because of them."
Bowlus says the university expects thousands of people to be in Bluffton tomorrow, including law enforcement officers and first responders paying their respects.
Watch WTOL 11 team coverage of Bluffton Police Officer Dominic Francis' funeral Friday, April 8, at 11 a.m. on-air, online, or on our Facebook and YouTube pages.