Fallen DC officer’s uniform made into bears for his kids

WASHINGTON — When D.C. police officer Barry Eastman died in a car crash in September, he left behind his wife, Jennifer, and twins Violet and Asher, who are 5. And thanks to one of his fellow officers in the Third District, Eastman’s children now have a piece of him to hold onto: stuffed bears made from their dad’s uniforms.

CNN reports Officer Rebecca Werner was the one who made the bears, which use Eastman’s uniform shirts for their bodies and buttons for eyes, and have Metropolitan Police Department uniform patches on their feet.

Eastman, from Ellicott City, Maryland, was driving home from a shift around 8 a.m. Sept. 25 on Route 32 in Clarksville when his car crossed the centerline and hit a tractor-trailer head-on. He was 31.

“My kids were so thrilled to receive them,” Jennifer Eastman told CNN. She said they haven’t decided on names for the bears yet.

“My daughter said, ‘Now I can give Daddy a hug.’”

Officer Barry Eastman's kids with the bears made from his uniform. (Courtesy Metropolitan Police Department)
Officer Barry Eastman’s kids with the bears made from his uniform. (Courtesy Metropolitan Police Department)
A D.C. officer with the bears made from Officer Barry Eastman's uniform. (Courtesy Metropolitan Police Department)
A D.C. officer with the bears made from Officer Barry Eastman’s uniform. (Courtesy Metropolitan Police Department)
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Officer Barry Eastman's kids with the bears made from his uniform. (Courtesy Metropolitan Police Department)
A D.C. officer with the bears made from Officer Barry Eastman's uniform. (Courtesy Metropolitan Police Department)

See the video from CNN:

Rick Massimo

Rick Massimo came to WTOP, and to Washington, in 2013 after having lived in Providence, R.I., since he was a child. He's the author of "A Walking Tour of the Georgetown Set" and "I Got a Song: A History of the Newport Folk Festival."

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