Memorial honors slain Harris Sheriff's Deputy Goforth Goforth memorial embodies slain deputy's personality, serves as a reminder of appreciation

﻿>>Click to see a timeline of the case. less Harris County Sheriff's Office chaplain Lt. Donald Savelle leads a prayer at the new memorial to Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Darren Goforth at Woodlawn Cemetery. Goforth's peers said the monument fit his "down-to-earth" personality. Harris County Sheriff's Office chaplain Lt. Donald Savelle leads a prayer at the new memorial to Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Darren Goforth at Woodlawn Cemetery. Goforth's peers said the monument fit his ... more Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photographer Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Memorial honors slain Harris Sheriff's Deputy Goforth 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

With former colleagues from the Sheriff's Office gathered together, a memorial honoring slain Harris County Deputy Darren Goforth was installed Wednesday in the Woodlawn Cemetery in northwest Houston.

The7-foot long black granite memorial, which includes a bench and a gravestone with a thin blue line of glass, an homage to law enforcement, was donated to Goforth's family by a group of monument companies.

"When Darren passed away, it was a time of turmoil for a lot of our public servants," said Tony Watson, owner of Watson Sign & Monuments. "We have deep gratitude for our public servants and what they do to protect us. It's the least we could do."

Goforth, 47, was gunned down on the evening of Aug. 28, 2015, outside his patrol vehicle at a northwest Harris County gas station.

Described by friends as "down-to-earth," funny and compassionate, Goforth's character was central to the design of the structure, with phrases like "supportive husband," "protective father," "generous son," "loyal friend" and "little brother" etched on its back.

"It's very appropriate for him," said Houston Police Department Lt. Roland De Los Santos, a childhood friend of Goforth. "It's simple, like Darren was, and yet, it's really nice. I think he'd like it."

With a handle made from one of Goforth's 13mm wrenches, a vase built into one end of the structure especially reflects Goforth's personality.

"He loved to tinker with cars, so that's actually one of his wrenches on top of the vase. But it's not for flowers, it's for candy" said Kimberly Schlitzberger, co-owner of Schlitzberger and Daughters Monument Co. "He had a tradition of picking up his kids from school and driving them to the gas station to get candy."

The third monument firm involved in the donation was Roquemore Marble and Granite.

During a short prayer given after the memorial's installation, Don Savell, the Sheriff's chaplain, stressed the importance of remembering Goforth through the "everlasting memorial," and asked for protection for those who serve the public in law enforcement.

"The memorial puts a stamp on the whole point of saying we'll never forget." Savell said. "Seeing his name etched in stone reminds us that we should never forget the sacrifice that he made."

Though a number of Goforth's former Sheriff's Office colleagues attended the unveiling, his immediate family, including his wife and two children, plans to visit the memorial privately at a later date.

"It kind of puts me at a loss for words to see people care enough to go do the procedures of getting this erected," said John Nanny, a captain at the Sheriff's Office who worked with Goforth. "It's a very nice piece and it's just so honorable to him, to remember him like that."

The man charged with capital murder in Goforth's death, Shannon Miles, 32, spent more than a year in a state mental hospital after being declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. He has since been declared competent and could stand trial as early as the fall.