How a register book is bringing the Elwood community closer together

ELWOOD- — An Elwood Funeral Home is doing what it can to honor the life and legacy of fallen officer Noah Shahnavaz.

“When we heard the news about officer Noah our hearts just broke,” Funeral Director Ned Dunnichay said.

The Dunnichay Funeral Home placed register books around Elwood for people to sign. This is their way of showing support and appreciation for Officer Noah Shahnavaz. The books will be given to his family at his service.

“This is a great opportunity for the residents who can’t attend,” Dunnichay said.

For those who live in Elwood, this is a chance for the community to show how much they appreciate an officer whose life was taken away far too soon.

“While this officer was trying to do his job, he was ambushed and his life was taken,” Denise Gordon said.

Gordon was one of many people who showed up at Dunnichay Funeral Home on Thursday to sign the register book. Gordon expressed her support for Officer Noah Shahnavaz and what he meant to Elwood.

“We are small town USA and people stick together,” Gordon said.

Rick Manesk is another community member who showed up to sign the register book. Manesk and his fiancé wanted to show their support for their community.

Manesk said that her fiancé’s husband was killed in a car crash, so when they told her son the news, her son had one message — 'God must need a new angel.'

That’s exactly what Manesk wrote in the register book.

“If that boy could go through with what he did and deal with and learn to live with what happened then I hope this family could too, and I think they can too,” Manesk said.

The Dunnichay Funeral Home said the books will be available to sign at the funeral home until 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The books will be available to sign at Elwood J.r./S.r. High School Football stadium on Friday from 5-8 p.m.