MOLINE, Mich. — When Andy Rusticus' family found a handwritten prayer in his Bible shortly after the young father passed in 2012, they knew that would be part of how they'd memorialize him.
The idea on just how to use the prayer took years to come to fruition.
"It was really Roland's idea. Andy's dad has come up with a few ideas that I've just said 'Yeah, sure. Go for it,'" said Andy's mother, Mary Rusticus.
Roland Rusticus was determined to turn the prayer into a song. He sent it to a number of composers to no avail.
Last spring, a family friend realized she knew the perfect person for the job.
Jaret Landon, who has composed music for films, theater and recorded albums primarily in Chicago and New York, quickly agreed to help with the project.
Landon composed the song and had Andy Rusticus' two daughters, Baylee, 11, and Libby, 8, recorded it while clutching items that reminded them of their dad.
"We were amazed at what he wrote," Mary Rusticus said. "We were blown away by him and by how he wrote the song."
Roland Rusticus wanted to spread the song beyond their family, though. So, he approached his granddaughters' school.
"He said it'd be really nice if Moline Christian could be a part of this, and just gave us the opportunity to join in their memorial and celebration of Andy," said Moline Christian Schools Principal Kevin Sall.
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, after months of practicing, the more than 200 Moline Christian students sang Andy's words to commemorate him during a memorial chapel.
"February 25 has been a difficult day for eight years," said Mary Rusticus. "This brought a bit of redemption to this day."
In addition to the student's song, former GRPD Police Chief Kevin Belk along with Deputy Chief Scott Rifenberg shared their memories of Andy Rusticus, who was hired just a couple of years before he passed.
Rifenberg, who served as Andy Rusticus' sergeant at the time, said the officer's parents gave him a copy of the prayer shortly after he died.
"I put it in my locker and every single day when I put all this gear on, I read that prayer and I think about Andy," Rifenberg said. "Today's the first day I took it out of my locker and put it in my pocket and brought it down here."
Rifenberg told the crowded Moline Christian gymnasium that Andy Rusticus was known for his calming demeanor on the southeast side of Grand Rapids, where he served.
"Every single call whether it be something dangerous or just to help somebody out in the neighborhood— Andy took all those calls every single one to heart," Rifenberg said.
Andy Rusticus was off duty when he died. He had been training for a K9 officer agility test.
"He strapped on all of his equipment, his vest, his boots," Mary Rusticus said.
She said he waved goodbye to his wife Michelle and his two daughters in his typical goofy way and never came home. He was found unresponsive on the side of the road from an apparent heart attack.
"They worked on him for a long time...and couldn't save him," Mary Rusticus said.
On this day of pain, Mary Rusticus said their family chooses to remember who Andy was and not what happened to him. She hopes sharing this song will leave an impact on those who hear it.
"The words that Andy wrote can apply to a lot of things in life and a lot of people's lives," she said.
Andy Rusticus' family also holds the K9K event every summer at Riverside Park to raise money for the Grand Rapids Police Department Canine Unit Foundation, the Michigan Thin Blue Line, a scholarship honoring Andrew Elliott Rusticus at Trinity Christian College, and Vested Interest in K9s. Click here to learn more about the event.
Watch the video below to hear Moline Christian's edition of Andy's Prayer:
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