. . . Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy graceWhere never lark, or even eagle flew
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.
- John Gillespie Magee Jr.
When a peace officer dies, peers mourn the loss as if the victim were a brother, son or daughter. Pilots are much the same.
So it was with the death of Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Doyle Reed Thorne, a veteran aviator who had survived two helicopter crashes only to lose his life in a third while responding a call to help locate a missing child.
As he was in life, Thorne's memory was embraced by the love and respect of family, friends and fellow law officers Saturday during funeral services in South Jordan.
The longtime Utah peace officer was characterized as a gentle humorist, proud father and husband and a man never reluctant to help those in need. He was laid to rest Saturday afternoon at the Brigham City Cemetery following a motorcade escort across northern Utah.
Thorne, 52, died after the helicopter he piloted crashed into a mountainside in Wasatch County July 30. En route to help look for a missing Arizona toddler, the UHP sergeant turned around after learning the girl had been found. Minutes later, he radioed the local dispatch that he had experienced problems going through a canyon, was losing altitude and going into the trees.
Searchers located the Department of Public Safety helicopter and Thorne's body Tuesday near Strawberry Peak after an intense four-day search in Duchesne and Wasatch counties.
Those who spoke at Thorne's funeral said he died doing what he enjoyed most - flying and helping people - and would likely have been embarrassed by the "hoopla" and outpouring of concern created by his death.
"I know Doyle doesn't like the spotlight, but he doesn't have a choice in the matter today - Doyle, you'll just have to bear with us," said his nephew, Clay Jones.
Jones recalled his uncle's quick wit with a story about Thorne's early years as a UHP trooper when he pulled a man over for speeding. The man said he couldn't afford another ticket and pleaded for a break.
"Doyle said, `There is one thing we can do. See that radar detector in your car - can I have that?' " according to Jones. The officer placed the detector under the man's back tire and ordered him to back up, Jones said. "Doyle really had a wit about him."
Two of Thorne's brothers spoke of their sibling, painting him as an avid cherry farmer, reader, academician and genealogist. Brent Thorne recalled the four brothers growing up on a farm and sharing a room with only two beds.
"(Doyle) was not too sympathetic about the prisoners complaining they were double bunked," he joked.
Gov. Mike Leavitt was among those who flew with Thorne often and remembered him as a personal friend.
"In the state Capitol we have adorned the great building with statues, statues of men and women who have made this state great," he said. "On the south wall is a small memorial - the smallest . . . but perhaps the most powerful." The plaque, alongside a statue of a boy dressed in his father's police uniform, honors Utah officers killed in the line of duty.
"Soon we will add Doyle's name to this . . . what that means is commitment," Leavitt said. "First, our greatest thanks. Second, our deepest sorrow and third - our greatest commitment - that we will not forget."
Many of those present Saturday knew of Thorne's earlier helicopter crash in 1989, when he and a deputy walked away uninjured. They were not aware that during his stint as a Marine Corps captain in Vietnam he survived another crash when his helicopter was struck by enemy fire, UHP Lt. Col. Gary E. Gunrud said.
During the war, Thorne transported troops back and forth to the front and the soldiers had joked that he flew with a halo above his helicopter, Jones said.
"Some may wonder why flying is so important to Doyle, when it is so risky," Gunrud said. He read Magee's poem by way of explanation. "I believe Doyle also flew for other reasons. I believe Doyle flew . . . for his service to others . . . Because of (his) skill as a pilot, Doyle made a contribution.
"In today's world, we need more heroes," he said. "Doyle Thorne was truly a hero . . . we can take comfort knowing Doyle died doing what he did best."