A police officer who was killed after his pickup truck drove off an Englewood road will be remembered as a family man who loved serving the city of Trotwood, according to those who spoke at his funeral Monday.

Hundreds,  most of them police officers, came to Phillips Temple CME Church to say farewell to Trotwood Police Officer David A. Yaney, a 59-year-old Vietnam veteran who served with the police department for 33 years.

Family, friends and co-workers at the service, which was packed, comforted each other and listened to songs including “Wind Beneath My Wings,” “I will always love you,” “You Raise Me Up” and some popular country music songs.

He died Wednesday when his pickup truck veered off Taywood Road, hit a guardrail and went airborne, plunging 35 feet into 10 feet of water in Buttermilk Falls Creek.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office said Yaney died of blunt force trauma and freshwater drowning. He also had heart disease.

“Right now we can say he did have a medical reason that could have contributed to the accident, but we may never be able to know for sure,” said Dr. Kent Harshbarger, county coroner.

Mourners celebrated Yaney’s life by listening to stories told by Pastor John Barrett and retired  Capt. Rick Wright.

“Dave was full of joy. Even in a world of violence, he was full of peace,” Barrett said during the hour-long service. “He loved his band of brothers. Unconditionally.”

Wright told mourners stories he had heard from Yaney’s colleagues. One had to do with Yaney’s response to a call involving a father who was inquiring about how he could legally discipline his son. Yaney told the man he was allowed to use  corporal punishment as long as it was not excessive.

When the father wanted a definition of excessive, Yaney responded, according to Wright, “You commence to whooping him and I’ll tell you when it’s excessive.”

Wright went on to say how Yaney was a fan of John Wayne, and how he wanted to be a police officer at an early age and had been a mentor to other officers.

“You will be forever remembered and missed,” Wright said.

Once Yaney’s silver casket, covered with the American flag, was placed inside a  hearse, the vehicle was followed by a long processional of police cruisers, with lights flashing, heading to Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Visitation was Sunday

Marked cruisers from Trotwood, Dayton, New Lebanon, Sinclair Community College, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol were parked outside the church in Trotwood on Sunday afternoon as law enforcement officers gathered to say goodbye to Yaney.

A 59-year-old Vietnam veteran who worked as a Trotwood police officer for more than three decades, Yaney has been lauded as a beat cop with a connection to the community where he became known as “the mayor of Drexel.” “He was a great resource and taught a lot of us the skills we learned in law enforcement,” said Sgt. Kurt Althouse of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

“He seemed to be even keeled about everything.”

By 3:14 p.m., the line for the visitation wrapped around the large church lobby and flowed outside the building into the rain.

“The love and support this community has shown this family is incredible,” said Kevin Rogers, the funeral director.

Rogers anticipated about 1,000 people would attend the four-hour visitation.

Yaney died of blunt force trauma and freshwater drowning, according to a preliminary determination by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office. He also had minor heart disease which may have been a factor in the crash.

Yaney’s red Chevrolet S10 pickup truck plunged into Buttermilk Falls Creek after hitting a guardrail around 5:42 a.m. Jan. 9. When Englewood officers arrived at the creek, in the 700 block of Taywood Road, three minutes after the crash was reported, they could only see the dim lights on the vehicle.

Dayton Daily News Staff Writer Sharahn Boykin contributed to this report.