Survived by wife, Amy E. Pierson; son, Christian Pierson; daughter, Charity Pierson; father, Steve R. Pierson; mother, Deborah J. Pierson; sister, Patty (Greg VanFleet) Pierson; brother, Brett Pierson; sister, Julie Pierson; mother father-in-law, Mitch Joan Evans; several nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles cousins. Daryl's visitation is 2-4 7-9 PM on Monday and 2-4 7-9 PM on Tuesday at the funeral home, 1411 Vintage Lane (between 390 Long Pond Rd), Rochester, NY 14626. His funeral service will be celebrated at 11 AM Wednesday at the Blue Cross Arena, 100 Exchange Blvd, Rochester, NY 14614. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Badge of Honor Association, PO Box 30735, Rochester, NY 14603 in Daryl's memory. To donate to a memorial fund to assist Officer Pierson's family, go to: http://www.youcaring.com/memorial-fundraiser/remembering-daryl-pierson/228970 To watch a video highlighting Daryl's life as a policeman, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPwXXP-xT8U ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Amy Pierson will cherish the past eight months more than any other in the 12 years she knew her husband, Rochester Police Officer Daryl Pierson. Forced home by an injury to his hand in January, Daryl Pierson used that time to grow closer to his 4-year-old son, Christian, who was readying for kindergarten; and bond with his "angel baby," Charity, who was born May 19 -- five weeks premature due to pregnancy complications. It was a time Daryl Pierson will never have again. "We had all those months as a family, which will be something we will always cherish," Amy Pierson said Thursday afternoon, little more than 12 hours after she put her head on her dead husband's chest, kissed his face and said goodbye for the last time. "He was always such a family man and he had those months to pour into the family and into Christian; those three months to bond with Charity. I'm so grateful that he got to see her, and know her and bond with her, because he was so excited for that little girl to be born." On Wednesday, one day after he returned to work following the injury to his hand, the eight-year veteran of the department and a member of its respected Tactical Unit was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire between police and a man officers were pursuing. The 32-year-old officer was taken to Rochester General Hospital where doctors worked with "absolute fury," and "tried to pull off a miracle, which was not to be," said Chief Michael Ciminelli. FAMILY AND POLICE WORK Amy and Daryl Pierson met about 12 years ago through family friends. "I thought he was so handsome, I think I told my girlfriend he was just the most handsome man I ever saw," Amy Pierson recalled. "And he was just fun, just fun to spend time with." In a small ceremony in 2004, they married on a beach in Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Amy Pierson, also 32 and a part-time employee at Paychex, said she learned early on that her husband had unbending convictions about service and protecting people, which led him to the U.S. Army and then into police work. "He was very passionate about it, even from childhood it was the only thing he ever wanted to do, it was definitely where his heart was, serving and protecting," she said, sitting on a couch in the three-bedroom ranch-style home on a tucked-away street in East Rochester where they have lived for six years. He loved it ... he was just so passionate, he'd come home and be so fired up about those things, just making a difference and actually being a productive officer, it meant everything to him." AMY PIERSON The rooms of that home reveal the story of a life that was equally devoted to family and police work: Toy trucks and Legos cover the floors of the living room; Christian's construction-paper artwork adorns a kitchen wall: (I am big and I am driving my mom and dad to the sandbox and I am going to play there, too). Family photos line the walls, sit in frames on tables and cover the refrigerator door. They show the emergence of a young family, from the seaside wedding to the birthing rooms of Christian and Charity. A book of police memorabilia including citations, graduation certificates and others lies on a kitchen counter. Daryl Pierson spent much of his childhood in East Rochester and graduated from the high school there. He had three siblings, an older sister, Patty Rizzo, and a younger brother, Brett, and sister Julie. His mother, Debi, still lives in East Rochester; his father, Steve, lives in Wolcott, Wayne County. Kim Romach, secretary to County Court Judge Victoria Argento, graduated a year after Daryl Pierson in high school. "As my mother would say, he's the type of guy your father would want you to marry," Romach said. "He was a stand-up guy. He was very respectful, the way he talked to people and treated people." If you could pick guys we can't lose, he would be at the top of the list." Daryl Pierson attended Monroe Community College before he became a police officer in 2006. "It's all he ever wanted to do," Amy Pierson said. "He talked about possibly becoming a homicide detective but he wasn't hard-core on what path he would take." He loved his brother and sister officers and the RPD, Amy Pierson said. "They genuinely cared about each other, more than regular co-workers, or more than being each others' responsibility. They loved each other. And it's showing, I'm just in awe of all these officers." And one thing her huband knew for sure: "He was definitely planning on retiring from the Rochester Police Department," Amy Pierson said. "He loved it ... he was just so passionate, he'd come home and be so fired up about those things, just making a difference and actually being a productive officer, it meant everything to him." THE GUY YOU WANT NEXT TO YOU On Thursday, Daryl Pierson's colleagues called him a calming and steady member of the tight-knit Tactical Unit, a group known for proactive and aggressive policing which if often charged with dealing with some of the department's most chaotic and dangerous situations. "He was a very solid officer, never over-the-top or high-strung," said Todd Baxter, executive director of the Veterans Outreach Center, former Greece police chief and a longtime member of the RPD. "He was the guy you want next to you when you're stepping out on street corners, the guy you want next to you when you're going on a robbery call because you know he's always going to be there." Baxter met Pierson when Pierson went through the police academy. "He brought the ultimate sense of professionalism to a scene, even a chaotic scene. He was usually the calming factor." The tactical unit is put in areas of high crime and used to bolster the division's regular patrols. Because of the intense nature of the work, its officers typically work in pairs, and the unit typically focuses on areas plagued by illegal guns, drug sales, robberies and violence. They often conduct corner enforcement and surveillance. He was the best everything. He lived a hero, he didn't have to die to be a hero. AMY PIERSON "They are proactive, they enjoy shutting things down," said James Sheppard, Rochester's former police chief "If there is a pattern of shootings, they are going to go in and shut it down. If there is a pattern of robberies, they are going to go in and shut it down, they are going to make those arrests," Sheppard said. "Because they cover the whole city, they know the whole city. They have informants, they work closely with homicide, they work closely with narcotics." Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Gregory said Pierson also worked closely with federal law enforcement agencies including a major investigation of a gang that had a "corner store pretty much kidnapped." Pierson knew the defendants and others and was key to the investigation in the Mark Street/Hudson neighborhood. Death "just brings home the fact that these (police) are involved in dangerous work really on a day-to-day basis that often the general public takes for granted as to how dangerous it really is," Gregory said. Ciminelli described Pierson as an "exemplary officer" whose actions "speak volumes" about his character. He listed eight years' worth of awards and accolades Pierson accumulated during his career. Among them were a 2010 Officer of the Month award, a 2013 Good Conduct award and 11 chief's letters of recognition, most of which commended his efforts in removing illegal guns from city streets, he said. Mayor Lovely Warren said, "there are no words" to diminish pain felt by the Pierson family. "I ask people to understand they great sacrifice Officer Pierson made last night. He lost his life trying to protect and serve this community." "IN HONOR OF YOUR DADDY" Her husband was constantly working on the house and in the yard, Amy Pierson said, and joked that he preferred Home Depot gift cards to more traditional presents. He was the "most disciplined and productive person that I ever met," she said, and he kept a close eye on the needs of the home, such as the above-ground pool in the backyard where he taught his 3-year-old niece, Madison, how to swim this summer. The pool is already covered for the year in anticipation of the fall. "He never sat around, he was always doing house projects," she said. Amy Pierson's mother, Joan Evans, said her son-in-law was a hero long before he was killed Wednesday night. "He was the best everything. He lived a hero, he didn't have to die to be a hero," she said. "He was a solid, strong guy. Strong and steady, the best, best dad, a hero daddy." Amy Pierson agreed. "He was always the best father that you could imagine, he was just always with the kids. He was just an incredible father, so that's the hardest loss," she said, crying. "I don't know when it will all really start to sink in. I know for myself it will be a while for me to really be able to grieve because I am just completely focused on my children and trying to help our son." East Rochester's interim superintendent Richard Stutzman Jr. said Christian started school on Wednesday. Grief counselors will be on hand for students and staff, as many knew the fallen officer, he said. "They were just best friends," Amy Pierson said of her husband and Christian. "I'll try to have to help him learn how to live without a father and just try to get him through this process. So if there are any praying people out there, please pray for Christian, he's going to be 5 this month, and that's the devastating part." Christian's birthday is Sept. 19, his father's would have been Sept 20. As he looked out the side door of his home Thursday, Christian spotted some officers who were standing guard and vigil on the street in front of the home. "There's police cars out there," he said, wearing a Sponge Bob T-shirt and twirling the propeller of a small toy plane. "Sixteen of them. More than 16!" Amy Pierson smiled. "Yeah," she told her son. "It's all in honor of your daddy, buddy." SAYING GOODBYE Amy Pierson said the same calm with which her husband went about his police work, held their family together and gave her peace when she considered the dangerous job he had -- working Rochester's toughest neighborhoods from 7 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. "You kind of worry about it ever single night, but you kind of get desensitized to it, and he was the strongest person I ever knew and I trusted that he knew what he was doing and I knew he did," she said. "He made us feel safe in every way, including about his job, so it wasn't a constant fear. He was just a calm person." That sense of safety was destroyed about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. "Two officers came to the door and told me that Daryl had been shot and he was in critical condition and they didn't know anything else at the time but they said it was bad and they rushed me to the hospital. "I got to go be with him, and I wasn't sure how I would feel about it when I got there, but it was just like it was him. I laid my head on his chest for a long time, and I held his hand, and kissed his face, and it was just like it was him. It was just like it was him. "He could have just opened his eyes right up." -Article by Jon Hand at the Rochester Democrat Chronicle. Includes reporting by Gary Craig and Victoria E. Freile. *******************************************************************************************************************************