Purposeful healing from tragedy 10 autumns ago still flows through the family of the late Sgt. Robert G. Kimberling.

His loved ones annually recall Oct. 6, 1999 — when 24-year-old Jason Friske of Wisconsin shot and killed Mr. Kimberling as the Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper made a traffic stop on Interstate 29. Mr. Friske had fled a Faucett, Mo., truck stop without paying for $24.69 in gasoline. Mr. Friske later shot himself to death at the scene.

Mr. Kimberling was a 14-year veteran of the patrol who was the agency’s 20th uniformed member to die in the line of duty. To his widow, Kelly, the past decade has turned out to be a time of gradually training herself to persevere.

“It really has gone rather fast,” she told the News-Press Tuesday afternoon at her St. Joseph home. “I don’t look back. ...You just keep on going. We’ve had struggles. We’ve had good days.”

A breakfast held each anniversary aids her through fond reminiscing with family and longtime friends. Troop H spokesman Sgt. Sheldon Lyon said this year’s event drew 70 people to the Wyatt Park Baptist Church, including local and area law enforcement and current and past patrol members.

“We celebrate his life by doing that,” Mrs. Kimberling said of the breakfast. “The highway patrol are a part of our family. We’re very grateful for that.”

She credited then-troop commander Capt. Johnnie Hoggatt and the patrol at large for helping her and the family readjust their lives in the aftermath of their loss.

“They just sort of took us under their wing,” she said. “No matter what we need, we can call. ... It’s something I wish nobody had to go through.”

Mr. Kimberling’s family still receives support from strangers across the nation and Canada.

“That gives you a great feeling — that there are good people,” Mrs. Kimberling said. “We focus on the positive rather than the negative.”

Her daughters, Tobi and Katie, are both now raising grandchildren for their mother.

Mr. Lyon said the annual breakfast will always serve as a means for honoring a fallen comrade and to provide a sort of therapy for those who knew him.

“The gathering is a way to step away from our busy day and pay tribute to a trooper who touched many lives,” he said.

Mr. Kimberling is buried near his hometown of Jamesport, Mo.

Ray Scherer can be reached at rscherer@npgco.com.