It was an emotional day in Oneida County as a Whitesboro Police Officer was laid to rest a week after his death. Officer Kevin Crossley was killed while on-patrol when his vehicle crashed into a pickup truck. As Melissa Krull tells us, family, friends, and law enforcement are remembering Crossley as a man who lived to serve others, and enjoyed doing so.

UTICA, N.Y. --"Yes, today is a sad day, but as I mentioned, this is a Celebration of Life, and no one celebrated life more than 'Bing'," said Peter Sobel. Sobel is the Whitesboro Fire Chief and works with the Whitesboro Police Department. He was a close friend of Kevin Crossley's.

 Law enforcement from across the state paid tribute to fallen Whitesboro Police Officer Kevin Crossley with a procession before the funeral service on Wednesday morning.

"Kevin was one of those cops where when you checked the schedule to see who's on at night. You could put your phone down and relax a little bit because you knew he was out there, and you knew things were gonna be done right. You knew he could carry himself," said Whitesboro Police Department Sergeant Jason Buley.

The funeral mass service was held inside the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. It was a sea of badges and a room full of love for the man they lost.

"'Bing' connected and developed many friendships regardless of where he went, a testament to the type of person that 'Bing' was," Sobel said.

Crossley also served with the Whitestown Police Department and Whitesboro Fire Department.

"He was a true street cop and he excelled at it. He was a true brother to the thin blue line and he excelled at it. As a Village cop, he served all the people of Whitesboro with honor and respect and he excelled at it," said Dominick Hiffa, the Whitesboro Police Department Chief.

Those who spoke at the service made sure to talk about Crossley's big personality and shared some of their favorite memories.

"I asked everyone if they were wearing dress socks, and everyone said, 'Yeah, yeah. We all have dress socks on,' and Kevin put his head down, and he pulled his pant leg up, and he was wearing bright white tube socks," remembered Buley.

Crossley's friends and those he worked with said they feel blessed to have known the man who always served others with a smile.

"I think now we realize how fortunate we were to have 'Bing' in our lives and to have this amazing group of friends," Sobel said. 

Officer Kevin Crossley was buried at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Utica in a private graveside service.

He was 34 years old.