Const. Jennifer Kovach was remembered as a dedicated police officer whose love for her job was matched by her love for many other pursuits at a Thursday memorial.

Thousands of police officers, dignitaries and members of the public packed the Sleeman Centre in Guelph for the funeral.

Family, friends and fellow officers all spoke at the service.

Her mother, Gloria Kovach, remembered Jennifer as the child who eschewed the Barbie dolls Gloria had wanted to pass on to her in favour of soccer balls.

“As Jennifer would say, do not go where the path may lead – go instead where there is no path and just leave a trail,” she said.

A recurring theme was Kovach’s love of policing, a career she knew she wanted to take up from an early age.

An encounter with an officer at her school started her down that path, which ultimately led to Conestoga College in Kitchener for police foundations and a school in Quebec to develop bilingualism.

“To Jennifer, what mattered was that she reached a major milestone at such a young age where she was able to put a checkmark on her to-do list – member, and a proud member, of the Guelph Police Service,” said Guelph Police Chief Bryan Larkin.

Lieutenant-Governor David Onley also addressed the service, calling Kovach a role model for Ontarians.

“Jennifer represented the virtues we admire most as a province and as a nation,” he said.

“Jennifer’s commitment to duty and courage enabled her to embrace her oath as an officer in life and death.”

But it was who Jennifer Kovach was when not on duty that pervaded through the ceremony.

“Being a police officer was a big part of Jennifer, but it was not who she was,” said Larkin.

“She became much more than policing.”

Colleague Const. Neil Moulton recalled Kovach’s love of ATVs and motorcycles, as well as her passion for volunteering with groups like CNIB and the Special Olympics.

Gloria Kovach recalled the teenager who played rugby at Centennial CVI and planted daffodils on the Hanlon Parkway, while Larkin pointed to Kovach’s determination to eventually work as a youth officer, her love for her dogs and her decision to become an organ donor.

“We are most certain that those who benefit from her selfless donation will carry the legacy of Jennifer,” he said.

Jennifer Kovach, 26, died March 14 when her police cruiser crossed over to the other side of Imperial Road and crashed into a Guelph Transit bus.

Before the funeral began, Kovach’s casket made its way through downtown Guelph in a procession with police honours.

Draped in a Canadian flag, the casket was then carried into the Sleeman Centre by eight of Kovach’s fellow officers and led by her parents.

Officers from the Waterloo Region Police Service volunteered their time to patrol Guelph on Thursday so all Guelph officers could attend the funeral.