TAMPA, Fla. — In the history of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, a total of 17 deputies have died in the line of duty.
The sheriff's office will take the time to remember those lives lost with a memorial service Wednesday evening.
The annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service will be held at 7 p.m. at the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Ybor City.
Names of the 17 fallen HCSO heroes, which are currently etched into a memorial outside the sheriff's operation center, will be read out loud during the ceremony.
Among the 17 fallen deputies, Donna Miller is the only woman. She and another deputy were killed in a car wreck responding to a shooting in 1987. May 8th will mark 35 years since Donna's death.
10 Tampa Bay talked to her parents and siblings about the grief they feel more than three decades after her death.
"Every day it’s constant. They say it gets better with time. I think we just get better with learning how to deal with the pain," said Yolanda Poore, Donna's younger sister.
Poore has fond memories of Miller working Leto High School football games just to see Poore, who was on the dance team, perform at half time.
Miller joined the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in 1979, following in her father's footsteps who worked there twenty years prior. At a time when there weren't many women working in law enforcement, Poore called her sister a trailblazer.
"Definitely was true to herself, a very brave individual and somebody not afraid to take chances," said Poore, who is attending the memorial service along with her mother, Connie Miller who hasn't missed one since losing her daughter.
There will also be a 21 gun salute and an aviation unit fly over. The HCSO Honor Guard will also place a wreath before the memorial in honor of the lives lost along with Sheriff Chad Chronister.
Chief Judge Ronald Ficarrotta of the 13th Judicial Circuit Court will be the guest speaker for the ceremony. The family members of the heroes will be there as well.
"Just one year ago, our agency tragically added yet another name to our fallen heroes memorial, and each time we lose one of our brothers or sisters in law enforcement, it never gets easier. This is our way of honoring their legacy and reminding their families that they will never be forgotten," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "Being a law enforcement officer is a calling, and those who gave their lives to protect and serve our community deserve to be recognized."