St. Ann, MO – St. Ann Police Department Sergeant William “Bill” Parks died unexpectedly on April 30, the department said.

Sgt. Parks, 41, served as a law enforcement officer with numerous agencies for a total of over 20 years, according to his obituary.

He was also awarded “several medals of valor for his bravery” throughout his law enforcement career.

“[He] loved being a police officer,” the St. Ann Police Department said in a Facebook post. “Losing a member of our police department family has been difficult for all of us. His death reminds us that none of us is guaranteed another day.”

The department also thanked everyone who had extended their condolences since the sergeant’s death.

Sgt. Parks and his wife, Jordan, are the parents of three young boys: Jackson, Christian, and Finnegan, according to a fundraising account established to aid his family in the wake of his death.

“Losing a loved one is heartbreaking and tragic but even more so when it is unexpected and happens to a young person who leaves a family behind,” the site read. “He loved his family and friends with everything in him.”

The fundraising page described Sgt. Parks as an “extraordinary man,” whose “giant grin and laugh could change the mood in a room.”

“Jordan and the boys are going to need all the emotional and financial support we can provide,” the page read. “He was the sole provider for their family including medical insurance… Know that they will be eternally grateful and that Bill will be smiling down with gratitude!”

Sgt. Parks was laid to rest on May 5, according to the department.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of St. Ann Police Sergeant William Parks, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.

Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.