ERIE, Pa. — Pennsylvania State Trooper Jacques Rougeau Jr. was laid to rest in Erie County on Tuesday.
“I love you Jay. Thank you for being my everything," said his widow, Chloe Rougeau, in her emotional eulogy. "I always knew you would change the world Jay Rougeau. I just never imagined it would be like this.”
Chloe held back tears as she spoke of her husband's dedication to serving the public as a state trooper and his bravery on June 17, the day he was shot and killed in the line of duty in Juniata County.
“He ran towards gunfire on his day off," she said. "That’s who Jay was. A protector, a hero.”
Trooper Rougeau, known as Jay to his loved ones and colleagues, loved basketball and Penn State football.
They say he was known for his infectious laugh and smile.
Chloe and Jay were high school sweethearts but had known each other since kindergarten.
“From playdates in elementary school to our first date in high school, he’s always been a part of my life," she said. "Standing here now, I'm really not sure how to exist in a world without him. He is my entire world."
Trooper Rougeau’s family and friends were surrounded by hundreds of others at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie on Tuesday, including fellow members of the State Police.
Sergeant Jonathan Colarusso and Sergeant Lucas Rankin shared stories of his career which ended up being way too short.
“Speaking from the heart, I absolutely loved this kid," said Sgt. Colarusso, who is part of Troop J, where Trooper Rougeau began his career as a state trooper. "He had every quality and capability all of us would want in a law enforcement officer, a spouse, a son, a brother and a friend.”
“The corporals even started calling him ‘Stealth Fighter’ because of the way he conducted himself. He never wanted the attention put on him," added Sgt. Lucas Rankin, station commander for Troop G in Lewistown.
Governor Josh Shapiro also spoke, giving his own condolences to Trooper Rougeau's family and honoring the fallen trooper.
“While 29 years on this Earth was not enough, Jay left an indelible mark on all of us," the governor said.
“We celebrate him as a hero today but he has always been my hero," added Chloe Rougeau.
This Thursday would have marked Trooper Rougeau's three-year anniversary as a state trooper.
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