CHURCHVILLE, N.Y. — Funeral services were held Monday for Mercy Flight pilot James Sauer, 60, of Churchville.
Sauer, a retired New York State Police officer, and former National Guard-turned-Mercy Flight pilot, was killed in a training exercise last week, along with 60-year-old Bell Helicopter instructor Stewart Dietrick of Prosper, Texas.
Friends and family gathered at the Open Door Baptist Church in the Rochester suburb of Chili, where Sauer was a parishioner. You can watch the funeral service in the video player below.
About 1,500 mourners packed the church and those who spoke during the service remembered Sauer as a man whose love of flying and service to others was exceeded only by his love for his family.
Members of the military, law enforcement, and emergency responders were in attendance, and an honor guard punctuated the service with a 21 gun salute and the playing of taps.