Santa Rosa detective who died of COVID-19 honored in private memorial

Family, co-workers and friends of a Santa Rosa Police detective who died of complications related to the coronavirus last year honored her life during a private gathering Thursday morning, nearly 16 months after the virus that killed her forced them to mourn apart.

Detective Marylou Armer, 43, died March 31, 2020, at Kaiser Permanente’s Vallejo Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized, tested positive for the coronavirus and placed in a medically induced coma in the days leading up to her death. She was survived by her husband and his daughter.

On Thursday, those close to Armer — the first California peace officer to die from the virus — shared memories of the caring and hardworking domestic violence and sexual assault unit detective, who began her career at the Santa Rosa Police Department as a civilian field evidence technician in 1999 before becoming a police officer in 2008.

The memorial at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, was attended by roughly 250 people, among them more than two dozen of Armer’s family and friends.

They included Armer’s older sister, Mari Tes Lau, who spoke of her and her sister’s upbringing in National City, San Diego and Guam, where their father was stationed for three years while he worked for the Marines.

Because their brother was much younger, the two sisters were always together, Lau said. They spent their time dancing to songs such as Blondie’s “The Tide Is High” and making princess gowns out of blankets.

When they lived in Guam, they avoided the backyard because they feared the large iguanas that roamed the area, Lau said.

Armer found an interest in law enforcement while high school, when she enlisted in the National City Police Department’s explorer program, Lau said.

Still, Armer’s family was surprised when she informed them of her move to Santa Rosa to work as a field evidence technician because of Armer’s quiet and shy demeanor, Lau said.

Shock hit them again when Armer revealed she wanted to become a sworn officer years later, Lau said.

“She loved her job, to protect and serve, and that’s what she did,” Lau said. “But we all know she didn’t stop there. Her ultimate goal was to make detective and in 2016, once again, she reached her goal.”

Dinah Salgado, who met Armer in high school, described Armer’s positive outlook and supportive nature.

“She’s always been there for me every time I had problems in my life,” Salgado said. “She never judged us, just always had positive vibes.”

Deborah Campana, Armer and Lau’s childhood friend, spoke about Armer’s nervousness about becoming a police officer. Armer had confided in her that she wasn’t sure she could handle the job, but accepted the position anyway, Campana said.

“I was so proud of her,” Campana said. “She had a good heart and was a person with strong personal, ethical and moral values, which the department recognized.”

A mix of the Santa Rosa Police Department’s rank-and-file officers, non-sworn personnel and command staff also attended the gathering, as did Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Rogers and other city officials.

Uniformed officers and deputies donning patches from law enforcement agencies throughout Sonoma County and the greater Bay Area also attended the memorial, which was preceded by a vehicle procession that traveled north on Mendocino Avenue at Steele Lane to Old Redwood Highway before reaching the performance venue.

Last year, the department held a similar vehicle procession for Armer days after her death. It began in Santa Rosa and ended at a cemetery in Napa, though the coronavirus pandemic prevented the department from holding a formal gathering like the one organized Thursday.

Co-workers who spoke at Thursday’s memorial said they knew evidence was in good hands when Armer showed up to a crime scene as an evidence technician, and that she took similar care when working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault as a detective.

She had been investigating a violent crime at the time she became ill, Santa Rosa Police Chief Rainer Navarro said of Armer during the memorial.

“When she spoke with you, you were the most important person in the world,” Navarro said.

“She made a difference until the very end,” he said.

Among the coworkers she befriended was Officer Stephen Bussell, president of the Santa Rosa Police Officers Association, who said he joined the department the same year Armer had.

The two bonded over their shared interest in golf and scuba diving and they ran their first marathon together with Bussell’s wife, who also became close friends with Armer, Bussell said.

“She had a zest for adventure and for life and so that dedication always carried into her profession,” Bussell said.

He said Armer’s death highlighted the importance of cherishing the time one has with the ones they love and finding balance in life.

“Marylou is one of those people in my career that I was closest to,” Bussell said. “She’s going to have a huge impact moving forward.”

The memorial ended with Navarro presenting an honor flag, given to relatives of officers who die, to Armer’s mother.

A bagpipe player closed out the memorial with the song “Amazing Grace” and then attendees gathered outside the building to send off Armer’s family.

The Santa Rosa Police Department honor guard fired three synchronized rounds as the department’s sworn officers stood in solemn salute before a bus carrying Armer’s family and friends left the area.

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nashellytweets.