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Deputy William Mast’s Funeral at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church: An Overcast Sky for a Grieving Community

By Jesse Wood

July 31, 2012. In the picturesque setting of Southeastern Watauga with tall rolling hills, the mood was somber with many tears falling beneath the overcast sky. 

In respect for their fallen comrade, Watauga County Sheriff’s Deputy William Mast Jr., hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the state formed a gauntlet in full salute behind the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church for the N.C. Troopers Association Caisson Unit to walk through before the services began.  

The horses towed the casket, draped in a red, white and blue flag, as Mast’s pregnant wife Paige and other family members, close friends and dozens of local law enforcement personnel followed. 

Masonic graveside rites and burial with law enforcement honors will follow at the Mast Family Cemetery in Cove Creek. 

For more information on the events that lead to Mast’s death and words from his partner Preston Russell, see our previous story at hcpress.com/?p=35728.

To view additional photos taken by local photographer Lonnie Webster, visit lonniewebster.photoshelter.com/gallery-slideshow/G0000yieU2DHxRGs/?start=.

Photo Gallery
Photos by Ken Ketchie

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