Hello, my name is Patrick Shrum, the Son of My father, my best friend, my idol and mentor-Donald Ray Shrum. I am from El Segundo, CA. “Los Angeles area”. My father is currently in Minden, Nevada, where he retired to. I am really trying to raise funds for his life long wishes concerning his burial/expenses associated. He has been battling blood cancer like the warrior he always has been, an insane will to survive, and for some time. He just passed away to Heaven in hospice now, they carried him from the house with the American Flag draped over him. Earlier this week my mother (Debbi Shrum) and I returned from Minden, Nevada with my mother where he retired to, to say our final good byes. We cannot stop crying, he had my sister (Monique) there with him at his side without sleep and a hospice nurse and my brother (Ian) with her and my dad. My sadness and pain I cannot explain, but I will be changed forever. Again, We are all devastated, hearts are torn, and souls are so shattered, we cannot pick up the shards of glass that have been ripping through us as he took a turn for the worst recently. (Please help us with any funds), as his retirement pension has been primarily used for many, many medical bills over time, expenses, and supporting his wife. Our family humbly asks for any help monetarily as his whole life he wanted to be buried with his Grandpa Pat, a decorated Army Guard Sergeant, who always protect the family. He was my father-Don Shrum’s idol and role model, and who I was named after. Grandpa Pat is buried at Westminister, Orange County, California. We unfortunately cannot afford the very high costs of his life time wishes. This breaks our hearts. It just isn’t right and feeling helpless about it absolutely kills me. Funds will be used towards death/burial expenses and services for Donald Ray Shrum (Senior Sergeant, Hawthorne Police Department, ret.) Thank you all for your support in this awfully sad time of tribulations for us. A day I truly never thought would come for a man I thought could never die. My wife Cindy is with me and helping me cope. Brief BIO on my father-Senior Sergeant Donald Ray Shrum, Patrolman badge #1, and Sergeant badge #141. Sworn Law Enforcement Service 1977-2004. He started his law enforcement career as a Reserve Police Officer with the Hermosa Beach Police Department, in California. He then served full time as a Policeman with the Hawthorne, California, Police Department for nearly 30 years. From the 1970’s, through the 80’s, the 90’s, until the first several years of the 2,000’s. He was in the thick of dangerously intense high crime and violent crime rates, etc. and saw how police work and society evolved through the decades and he left his calling at a good time to chase his other big love of cherishing time in the outdoors, camping, hiking, hunting and fishing. As a highly decorated peace officer and citizen no worthier and more honorable man could be found than Senior Sergeant Donald Ray Shrum “Sarge”, “Donny” “Shrummer” “The Police Department’s Beretta” by one News Article. He went about his duties fearlessly and without partiality, and yet with a becoming modesty and friendliness that gained the respect and friendship of all who were so fortunate to know him or the strangers and children and teens who were helped, mentored or saved daily and over his long sterling police career. During his service to our Country through our communities, he served in numerous highly effective capacities. He was an outstanding patrol officer, he even was so talented he was a sketch artist for Victims and Witnesses of Crimes, effectively capturing the suspect description in his drawings leading to convictions. He gave crime prevention classes to the community as a patrolman. He was also a field training officer, molding, shaping, training and educating new rookie officers, also called “boots”. Officer Don Shrum was not only an academic erudite, testing near genius levels in school, completing his Bachelors Degree in Microbiology and one semester away from his Masters degree in Psychology while raising my sister Monique. Don Shrum was also a graduate and alumni of the prestigious University of Southern California. He was selected by Hawthorne P.D. to attend USC’s Delinquency Control Institutes rigorous scholarly program where he graduated. Don also had good common sense and great [street smarts] because of growing up on the streets. He was a phenomenally trained boxer and wrestler and loved working out in the gym. He was perfect for the following role where he worked a year long-plus in an extremely dangerous undercover assignment living under an entirely new identity. His deep undercover cop mission was a great success, and was accompanied by death threats from gang/mafia leaders to him and our family following his gritty, harrowing and dark assignment resulting in many prosecutions. He was a revered and lauded Robbery/Homicide Detective for nearly a decade, the Elite of the Police Force (Homicide), and there wasn’t a case he or his partner-Sergeant Mike Lee could not solve! No CSI, DNA, etc, during that time. They were sharp as knives and since such technology never existed, they used time tested old school police work investigating, they used their good senses, intelligence, informants, strong cogitation, intellectual acuity, they relied on their training and experience, their hunches and gut instincts and worked arduously around the clock like relentless blood hounds, writing reports and following up on leads until their heads pounded, their backs ached and their eyes bled. They were going to judges homes at 2-3am, and getting search and arrest warrants, kicking down doors, after armed robbers and armed murderers-they never needed a SWAT team. He went on extraditions and brought back murders from other states. Most of all, Detectives Don Shrum and Mike Lee fully trusted each other, they were absolutely loyal, and loved eachother like brothers, and were out to seek the truth and Justice and closure for the victims and their families. Some stories I will share here and there: His partner, Also known to me as “Uncle Mike”. They were responding to an incident in their detective car, when my mother Debbi brought me into this world. They raced to the hospital lights and sirens, and from there my dad, Detective Don Shrum brought me into the Hawthorne Police station in a shoe box to show me off to his colleagues. Sergeant Don Shrum was also specially trained to also investigate (Officer Involved Shootings). He then competed for and was promoted to police sergeant where he loved serving and leading his police troops in the field as a highly seasoned decorated veteran police sergeant. I learned so much about leadership from him. He loved hunting, chasing and catching the most dangerous toughest bad guys that disrupted and terrorized the quality of life in the community that he grew up in and truly cared about, (Hawthorne) as well as the neighboring South Bay cities. He was a mix of Columbo, U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke, John Wayne and Wyatt Earp all in one. He absolutely loved being out there with the people-the residents and business owners, pillars in the community and especially leading and taking care of the men and women officers on his shift ensuring all his fellow brothers and sisters worked hard, learned continually and he made positive they came home safe to their loved ones. He never wanted to promote past sergeant, even though he and others knew he had all the requirements, capabilities and a proven luminary service jacket to rise through the ranks to Chief. It wasn’t about not climbing the ranks and echelon, he didn’t want to be alienated from the streets, he loved what he did and always said he couldn’t believe he got paid to have this much fun! His robust academic stores of knowledge and wisdom, highly advanced police training, dedication to gym fitness, unwavering and steadfast commitment to his job and the department and community, and his loyalty and love to our family. As his career partner said to me-who is a Vietnam Combat Veteran and award winning Hawthorne P.D. Senior Sergeant-Mike Lee said”, he was and is the most fearless hero there ever was! My dad, was an amazing man, he truly loved and cared about people. He was the best father, role model, and mentor I could ever, ever ask for. He coached friends and I on various different baseball teams at different competitive levels, and helped mentor them not just in baseball, but in life and helped them in personal family matters. He was always a hardcore protector of our family, and his loyal friends. He often times would hardly sleep, he would get off a long shift and get up a few hours later to be sharp and prepared to coach me and our travel baseball team often in city’s far away, and then he would take a nap and go back to work that day after a double-header. He was always helping and protecting people. I just want to add, I went on ride-alongs for many years and worked side by side with him as I grew up. He taught me so much! And, he groomed me and showed me the ropes of real deal police work out there on the streets. Because I always wanted to be like my father, and I believe that’s usually how it should be. I decided to become a Police Explorer with the El Segundo Police Department in my home town near his agency. I graduated as the #1 Cadet of the South Bay Police Explorer Academy, promoted to an Explorer Sergeant and was selected as a Drill instructor Honorable serving the El Segundo P.D for about 3 years. More thanks to my father and mother, I the. earned an out of state College baseball scholarship to Colorado travelling and competing in different states, studying and napping on buses. Pursuing to be a great man, maturing from a very young age seeing the trauma and smiles and cries in a high crime city, watching my father handle radio calls, all types of investigations, leadership styles he had and watched him run the city as a Watch Commander often, it was just incredible. I wanted to be successful like my dad, Don Shrum. He had high standards and therefore I set the bar high for myself. I then joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and graduating as the #1 Distinguished Honor Graduate of the Military’s intense Police Academy. Because of my fathers high standards, and again, his deep influence and inspiration he had on me, I was selected to Presidential Duty, and served on Active Duty for 5 years, armed and guarding President George W. Bush and President Obama with the Secret Service in over 40 Top Secret missions. I was certified as a SWAT operator after graduating from the military’s grueling Special Reaction Team School. Like my father, I was a field training officer and graduated from an advanced school as a certified Field Training Coordinator, and then became a Crime Prevention specialist, I continued as I knew my dad would, and worked extremely hard up the ladder and became a Police Watch Commander in charge of 70 plus Marine Military Police Officers serving the White House. I worked hard wanting to fill my fathers footsteps, and received many high awards and medals. After Honorable service, I got hired as a Federal Cop, and then got hired and graduated the famous LAPD Academy and was Class Leader. I served with LAPD as a Policeman for about a year and a half, where I was so, so proud to have my father Don Shrum pin my badge on. I worked hard and received numerous commendations at LAPD and then got hired by the Redondo Beach Police Department. I served honorably there as well for about 6 years, receiving law enforcements highest accolade-“The Medal of Valor Award” for a shooting I was involved in saving a terrified mother and her crying scared children. “Like Father Like Son! I was very happy to celebrate this award with my father, who had received 2 Medal of Valor Awards, one for a hellacious shooting with an armed robbery suspect who fired 2 rounds with a 357 magnum into my dads head rest and one in the upper drivers seat as he was exiting his patrol car. Back up responding officers rolled in hot, thinking Sgt. Don Shrum was killed, because his windshield was shot out, and observing rounds into his driver seat, and Sgt. Shrum being no where to be seen as he was taking cover and concealment and about to return fire, he had immediate crossfire! Because his back up arrived so fast, they were thinking he was killed, his troops all opened up on the suspect! My dad had no choice but to duck and take cover behind the patrol car wheel well. Approximately 58 rounds were being fired and were skipping and bouncing off my dads patrol car and bouncing underneath his unit right by him, a staccato of bullets were whizzing by his head. Talk about a war zone of calamity and trauma. The cop killing robber did not live through this incident and no officers were hurt. My dad then recieved another Medal of Valor award when he saved a woman from a massive apartment fire, he said the flames were raging, it was a total conflagration, he heard screams emanating from the complex, he was first on scene and said the smoke was so black he could not see or breathe well at all, he crawled on his hands and knees coughing, listening to her screams guiding him to find her. He ran out carrying her in his arms and she was alive, his uniform was soaked in blood and burnt off skin. He coughed up charcoal like smoke for days as I remember it well. Later on down the road, he saved the woman and her kids again! He was patrolling one day when he observed a suspect shooting at her with a rifle from his mobile vehicle out of the open sun roof, Sergeant Don Shrum immediately gave chase, quickly ramming the suspects vehicle hard, he then ran up and used the force necessary to take the suspect into custody and secure the firearm. An amazing story of saving the save woman twice, she and her children were so happy to see him again, hugging and thanking him once more. Moving on, at Redondo Beach PD, I passed my 3rd field training program, and they had an extremely high failure rate about or above 80% I was told. My recall my dad kept me motivated, he had a way of speaking with me that nobody else had, he gave me a positive mindset, and to always maintain that winning vision. My father then prepped me hard to compete for a fast promotion to Police Detective which I won and earned thanks to my dad! He made me a real man, a Warrior, a gentleman, and to always do my best. Always protect the family, and never stop yearning to better yourself. Don’t pay attention to envy or gossip. And when things get unfair, and or darkness comes, always come back bigger, badder, and stronger than before! We talked about when there’s people that won’t like you just because you have a gift or skill they don’t, maybe you worked very very hard and as you grow and accomplish, as you do special things, or you gain accolades, theres always going to be complainers and whiner, and jealous or bitter people that don’t like you for it. That’s just life. And I have learned just so so very much from him. He was a total magnificent staple in my life and a vortex of happiness and success for me that greatly helped me achieve my dreams and my calling for public service like him. Growing up, he took me on so many wonderful outdoor trips, pursuing great life experience hunts, taking floats planes and landing on lakes hours into the deep Alaskan wilderness, I watched my dad point and aim a 338 bolt action Winchester with a leupold scope, take a large grizzly bear down tearing up a moose in Alaska and then fishing with him for monster trout in so many beautiful lakes, to big hunting Elk in Wyoming and big bucks in New Mexico, to taking out Roaring mountain lions tree’d by relentless hounds in the snow high in the mountains in Nevada. My father taught me such crucial discipline, patience, wilderness survival, and harvesting the meat. On that same note, he was always an excellent marksmanship firearm instructor with me, my friends, other police officers. He started me off as a young boy with single shot pellet guns and single shot 22 Caliber rifles and revolvers; so, he stringently ingrained and wove into me that you have only one shot, and you must make it count! Because it could be the difference between life and death. On the streets as a police officer or in the wilderness as a hunter “starving” for a meal. I also took these hunting skills my dad taught me to the streets of Policing as he always did as well…there are many similarities. He taught me wilderness survival techniques, and harvesting the game meat, as well as patience and discipline, just as he taught me officer safety tactics and witty clever tricks of policing. Ohh What life time experiences me and my dad had! So many beautiful and excellent memories. We are so Very blessed and lucky for such memories. What a great father to me, to my sister, and brother. He was a phenomenal and venerable Lawman, a superlative homicide detective, and had a truly legendary and illustrious career. He was stern and firm, humble and gregarious, a down to earth guy, yet an academic graduate of prowess. An honorably decorated and award winning Policeman, and shining armor to myself, my brother and sister and mom and all other loved ones and close friends of loyalty. My father and my mother really encouraged my writing talents and skills. Since I was enthralled with police work and the rule of law, It was because of he and my mother that I wrote and authored and had a book published, a fiction police book tweaking some of my dad’s and my police stories to somewhat emulate as platforms for stories. [Beyond the Briefing Room: Life on The Beat-Patrick Shrum]. My dad was so happy i wrote a book and that it got published all over the world, Thus, he always loved reading, and he read my book within just a few days. That made him happy and it felt great! And I was able to make him proud and happy. Now, it must be known, he never said no to me wanting tofollow his footsteps as a cop, and he never said yes. He left it up to me. However, he obviously knew what my answer was and he would call me after school or baseball practice and say “Hey Son, you want to come out with me for a little, I could use my partner! And I would say, uh Heck yeah come get me. I was selected by a well known police professional to be a contributing author writing police articles with the well known former popular police magazine, now a leading police training, etc. website “Lawofficer.com” My dad really loved reading my well crafted articulated crime arrest reports, my creative writing, published articles and poems, my book, and also several published deeply written police poems I authored. Detective Shrum received many awards, we both got to share with eachother our awards and recognition from Senators, Congressmen, State Assemblymen, Mayors, and more. He has bodyguarded popular actors, providing security for Tom Cruise, he has guarded California Governor Gray Davis, and more. One particular letter we have that I truly would like to share as part of his story and legacy, a letter from the Deputy District Attorney: “I would like to take this opportunity to commend one of your detectives for his work. It is an all to rare circumstance when a deputy district attorney writes a letter of commendation for a Hawthorne Police Department Police Officer. I have found that Detective Shrum mixes the hard-nosed determination required for the successful prosecution of complex felonies with the understanding and compassion necessary to deal with the highly traumatized victims of violent crimes. In conclusion, it has been both my personal and professional pleasure to work with Detective Shrum. He is an extremely valuable asset to law enforcement and I congratulate you for having him in your command.”-Deputy District Attorney, Ira Reiner. To continue my fathers story, we have always loved buying and opening up baseball boxes and packs of cards, collecting high end baseball cards, getting them professionally graded and collecting various enamoring sports autographs and memorabilia. My dad also was quite an avid collector and expert on Indian art, rugs, pottery, Kachina dolls, collecting and buying old graded coins and more. I miss us being partners rolling down a dark alley at 2am, blackberry malt shakes from famous Fosters Freeze, and his pistol in his lap during swing shift ride alongs with the radio crackling echoing into the cool night out of the rolled down windows…there are many battle stories of you that must remain confidential within the family, as discretion may be advised. I miss us being gym partners and you paying for my underground Muay Thai kickboxing lessons, and then teaching and working the punching bag with me on late nights in the garage! I miss you throwing me millions of hours of batting practice pitches, working on my hitting fundamentals, and he would hit me millions of ground balls and various pop fly balls, line drives, and hard hitting grounders to the outfield. He would have me working on reading the ball from the pitchers hand to the batters bat, on defense creeping in on my toes, ready to pounce, refining my foot work and crow hopping line drives to home plate.all the trillions of wonderful fond Memories Papa, we love you, I love you so much. I could write a book about you and wish I could write more….When I left, He said “I love you most, Son…and I said “I love you more Papa”…he closed his heavy beautiful blew eyes…I kissed his forehead and sobbed in tears and before leaving his room. I looked at my father one last time, and I stood at attention as a Marine, and from one cop to another, one son to a father, alone, feeling empty and lost, and I saluted him, and I left. It was so, gutting like painful. I want to thank Hawthorne PD for their support and what he truly deserves, his brothers and sisters and the Honor Guard Detail there when he is laid to rest, I’m praying this logistically and all goes through as planned from what I was told on my end. Papa, I know you will be watching me and leading me with Grandpa Pat, and patrolling the skies with Great Great grandpa Charles Denson, Grandpa Pats dad- the Honorable City Marshal of Spur, Texas. You are with your mother, Cosmo, and more relatives and friends, and with the good Lord. I know you are guarding Gods pearly Gates with great love and respect for Gods rule of law, with toughness, fairness and with empathy, as you taught me, and the importance of when to use “The Spirit of the Law” and the “Letter of the Law” in the interest of Justice You are a legend, and I couldn’t be more proud to take your place here and continue your honor and the kind of man and character you always had. As you have said, I am you papa, and I will keep making you proud and taking care of the family as you watch over me, as you walk in stride with me. Thank you one more time for being my hero, a real hero, and helping me become a successful good man who is still filling your shoes, and thank you papa for helping me being able to live the dream and calling of God as a 3rd lawman in the Shrum tradition! Again, thank you for taking the time to read this all of you, I assure you it’s not long enough. Please pray for Donald Ray Shrum, and our family, and any funds that can assist us in his life long wishes of burial expenses. God bless to you all. And remember, cherish those great people and loved ones in your lives, say the loving words that need to be said, never go to bed angry with each-other, life is too short.