‘She didn’t just serve. She connected.’ Community says goodbye to fallen La Mesa police officer.

On her path to becoming a La Mesa police officer, Lauren Craven got tripped up on a shotgun-firing test at the police academy. But she found success when she went through the academy a second time, impressing her instructors and fellow recruits with her commitment, positive attitude and willingness to help others.

Just months after earning her badge, Craven continued to impress, receiving a rare “superior” grade from her field training officer after a lengthy pursuit of a suspect who rammed her patrol car. Officer Taylor Persitza, her training officer who was in the passenger seat at the time, said he’d never before given a trainee that high mark.

By all accounts, Craven was living out her dream when she was killed Oct. 20 in the line of duty. She died after she was hit by a driver suspected of being under the influence while she was assisting motorists involved in a freeway crash. She was 25.

On Tuesday, thousands of people gathered at Skyline Church in Rancho San Diego to remember Craven — not only as a police officer but as a loving daughter, sister and friend.

Before the service, a massive procession of vehicles drove from Snapdragon Stadium to the church, where a large American flag was flown from an extended fire truck ladder. Officials estimated 700 vehicles participated in the drive, which took about an hour.

Hundreds of uniformed officers lined the paved entry to the church and gathered on a nearby lawn, saluting as pallbearers carried Craven’s flag-draped casket inside to the sound of bagpipes.

Police Chief Ray Sweeney called Craven “a remarkable police officer, colleague and friend” who saved lives and “ran toward danger and did not hesitate” when she went to assist motorists on Interstate 8 the night she died. A driver involved in the initial crash, 19-year-old De’Veonte Morris, was also killed.

“Lauren, her smile and her resiliency is a light that will shine forever on our La Mesa community,” the chief told mourners. “She loved what she did. She loved the community that she served.”

Craven felt that law enforcement was something she was meant to do, and Sweeney said that showed in how she served.

“From Day 1, Lauren carried herself with the quiet confidence of someone who’d already figured out what she was meant to do. She didn’t stumble into this career — she ran toward it. Toward the danger. Not away from it,” he said.

He said Craven was a blend of toughness and heart who could handle the hardest calls and stand her ground, but also offer a smile when the moment allowed.

The livestreamed service lasted about two hours, concluding with a riderless horse, a 21-gun salute outside and an “end of watch” call for Craven over the police radio.

La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis told mourners he recalled meeting Craven shortly after she had been sworn in as a new officer. Struck by her youth, he joked that he’d be brief because he knew she didn’t want to be late to her “fifth-period algebra class.”

She laughed at his “dad joke” and shot back: “Good, because we have a quiz today.”

Arapostathis said Craven was someone with wisdom beyond her years who was also committed to giving back to the community.

“It was clear that she was motivated and that she had a calling,” he said, “and it was (because of) that and the love of her family and a sense of real duty that she achieved her goal.”

Craven, who grew up in Bend, Ore., had been on the La Mesa force for 20 months. She was the first officer ever killed in the line of duty in the La Mesa Police Department.

Miles Melendres said Craven was the love of his life and was like a matching puzzle piece to him. He called her “wonderfully funny, playful and weird in the best way possible.”

She loved botanical gardens and her plants, and a cat they adopted named Bo. They’d been together four years, he said, and had looked forward to buying a home, getting married and honeymooning in Tuscany. “Thank you for teaching me to find beauty in every day,” he said.

Craven’s mother, Belle, said she shared an incredibly close relationship with her oldest daughter. “Although we were mother and daughter, we had a genuine, deep friendship and authentic connection,” she said.

Craven “loved being a police officer and all that came with it … She was truly coming into her own. For this, I will always be grateful,” she said.

Craven’s younger sister, Margo, said Lauren was her best friend and was “strong, smart, beautiful, brave and hilarious.” Before becoming an officer, Lauren had worked as a nanny. She loved animals and children, she said.

“I am comforted in the knowledge that her final years and even her final moments on this Earth were spent doing what she loved and was meant to do,” Margo said. “I’m so grateful she found her calling, even though her life was cut unbelievably short.”

Her father, David Craven, recalled how Lauren refused to quit after failing the shotgun test. Craven practiced at the shooting range with a handgun and a replica shotgun he bought for her before entering the academy for the second time. “She said, ‘I gotta pass this. There is no Plan B.’ So she left nothing to chance. And she passed that test,” he said.

One of her close friends, sheriff’s Deputy Jordan Edwards, went through the police academy with Craven. They’d routinely meet every other Thursday for dinner and talk about their lives and the law enforcement careers they loved. At their last dinner, they celebrated her birthday.

“We talked about our friends and how proud we were of the officers and deputies they were becoming. And how in about 10 years we would be the ones running the show,” said Edwards, who was wearing her uniform. “We used to say ‘Chief Craven’ had a really nice ring to it.”

There were some light-hearted moments during the service. Several speakers mentioned Craven’s unusual diet, which included chocolate milk and Cokes, Peach Monster drinks, chicken nuggets and Uncrustables — frozen, crustless peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

Craven, who was tall and thin, just “glided across the floor” like a model when she walked, Edwards said.

Academy instructor Bolton noted she had a unique running style, too. “One thing that stood out to us (academy instructors) was the way she ran,” Bolton said. “Imagine how a supermodel walks on a runway. Now picture them running. That was Lauren.”

During his remarks, Sweeney urged those in the church to try to follow Craven’s lead by showing up for one another, leading with their hearts and remembering to find a little humor even when the world feels heavy.

“She didn’t just serve. She connected. She had a way of calming people down in tense situations, of making others feel seen, respected and safe. That was her gift,” he said. “She represented the very best in what it means to be a La Mesa police officer.”

Staff writer Hannah Elsmore contributed to this report.