CHRISTIANSBURG -- On Thursday morning Montgomery County Sheriff's officers still stood guard beside the officer down.

In the sanctuary of St. Paul United Methodist Church -- the biggest church in town -- two ceiling fans spun silently where the body of Cpl. Eric Sutphin rested beneath the American flag. At both ends of his casket, officers stood stoically.

Sutphin was killed Monday while searching for William Morva, a Montgomery County Jail escapee who allegedly killed a hospital security guard and injured another Montgomery County sheriff's deputy during his escape while receiving medical attention Sunday.

Mourners who entered the church for Sutphin's funeral Thursday were met with the scent of irises, roses and summer gladioluses and the stained glass arms of Jesus reaching out from the pulpit. Underneath the image was a message: "Come unto me."

Outside, hundreds of police vehicles from around the state were directed into spaces along streets closed for the procession. Sutphin's own brown patrol car sat in front of the church, covered with wreaths, flowers, balloons and mementos. On the back of the cruiser, a bicycle rack held his Trek. His black helmet hung heavily from a handlebar.

Sutphin's favorite part of police work was bike patrol. He was riding on the Huckleberry Trail near the Virginia Tech campus during Monday's manhunt when he was shot.

Hundreds attended. Seats inside the church filled quickly. Mourners who could not get in were directed to the basement and to nearby Christiansburg Presbyterian Church, where closed circuit television was set up.

A woman inside St. Paul's held a funeral program with a photo of Sutphin, his blue eyes in sharp contrast to the brown of his uniform. Her hand trembled.

"Eric was there for me," she said after the service.

Georgia Shupe, a diabetic who traveled from Giles County to attend the funeral, said she met Sutphin when he gave her a ride from a local hospital to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

"I got to ride in his police car," she said. "I had had a seizure. He gave me my medicine and hugged me. Two or three times."

"We're trying to make sense out of such a senseless act," added her husband, the Rev. Sam Shupe, pastor of Craig County's New Hope Church. "Our hearts are broken."

Just before the start of the service, dozens of officers from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office filed in with their family members to fill the entire left side of the sanctuary. Gov. Tim Kaine arrived with a Virginia State Police escort and was seated near the front. Other uniformed police men and women from around the state were among the crowd.

A line of mostly blue circled the walls beside the pews as officers from the Christiansburg, Blacksburg and Virginia Tech police departments stood, hats in hands.

When Sutphin's family -- led by Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Whitt -- entered, everyone rose. Sutphin's widow, Tamara, held the hands of their twin daughters, Rachel and Emily. The 8-year-old girls were dressed in matching outfits, their eyes solemn and wide.

The two guards at Sutphin's casket were dismissed.

"Tamara," began the Rev. Don Makin of Christiansburg Presbyterian Church, which the Sutphin family attends. "Emily has been asking some pretty good questions. How do we know there is a heaven?"

The minister read from John 14. "In my father's house are many mansions. ..."

He recalled Sutphin as a man who was "thoughtful, respectful and always taking that step above and beyond."

"All of our lives are uncertain," he said. "Our living and our dying are clouded by mystery. ... Eric Sutphin has passed through the mystery. He has a new life with God. I know it's hard to hear, but I tell you Eric is all right. He would want you to know that."

Kaine also addressed Sutphin's family, describing his pride when Sutphin received the state's Medal of Valor for coming to the rescue of Scott Hylton, a Christiansburg police officer who was killed in a 2003 shootout.

"Those memories came rushing back when we heard the news on Monday," Kaine said. "The commonwealth stands to offer our condolences and our deep, deep respect."

Kaine presented Tamara Sutphin with photos from the medal award ceremony and a folded flag.

The cavalcade to Sunset Cemetery following the ceremony was a stream of flashing blue lights from police cruisers and motorcycles. A few police officers mounted their bicycles and accompanied the parade. People lined downtown sidewalks, most with hands over their hearts.

At the cemetery, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Honor Guard carried Sutphin's casket to its burial spot near a new memorial to police officers.

Only one name graced the memorial: Eric Evine Sutphin, April 29, 1966-Aug. 21, 2006.

Then came the strains of "Going Home," floating from a bagpipe. Then three rifle shots. A bugle played taps.

Hundreds of police officers saluted. Many stepped forward to touch the casket.

And many wept.