The Glendale community is mourning the passing of a local police officer.

Officer Lonnie Durham died Aug. 2 from complications due to COVID-19, the department confirmed Monday.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our fellow officer, our friend, our brother, Officer Lonnie Durham,” GPD shared in an email.

A father of four, Durham joined the Glendale Police Department in 2008, and came from a Glendale police family. His brother, Brent, joined the Glendale force in 2007, and the brothers spent several years mainly working together on the same patrol squads, Brent, a detective, remembered in a family statement. Their father, Mark Durham, was a Sergeant with the Glendale force.

“I always enjoyed Lonnie’s love of the job and his innate ability to balance the job with his family life,” Brent said in the statement. “Lonnie was a joy to be around, and everyone who worked around him would tell you the same. He always had a huge smile on his face and was the definition of a ‘gentle giant.’”

Lonnie spent more than a week battling the virus before needing hospitalization, Brent also shared. Lonnie was placed on a ventilator, and his wife, Rae Lynn Durham, and his brother were by his side when he passed.

During his GPD career Lonnie earned both a Medal of Valor and a Lifesaving Award.

Brent added that Lonnie passed before he was able to medically retire from the police department, which leaves his family without a source of income. An effort to raise money for the family is online here.