Horry County police officer who died from COVID-19 will be honored in Myrtle Beach
A public funeral procession will be held Tuesday morning for longtime Police Cpl. Michael Ambrosino, who died last week from an illness related to COVID-19.
Ambrosino served more than 32 years as a police officer, including seven years with Horry County police. The 57-year-old died Wednesday from coronavirus-related complications
“He was part of the community, not just a police officer,” Horry County Police Chief Joseph Hill said in a press conference Monday. “Mike, like so many of us, put on the badge and a gun every day and came to work, knowing the dangers of this virus and everything else that comes along with this job, but he did it.”
At 9 a.m. Tuesday, members of the Horry County Police Department and the Ambrosino family will hold a private memorial ceremony at a funeral home in Murrells Inlet. This service is not open to the public.
Following the private memorial, there will be an honorary procession from the funeral home to Myrtle Beach State Park, and traffic is expected along the route, as some intersections will be closed to allow the procession to proceed.
At the public ceremony, family members will honor Ambrosino by pouring a mix of sand, shells, and flower petals from the pier into the ocean.
Members of the community who wish to attend are encouraged to find a spot and remain socially distanced from those outside of their own family. There will be a perimeter around the pier set up for the public.
The procession will immediately follow the private funeral, moving from Goldfinch’s Funeral Home Beach Chapel, 11528 Frontage Road, Murrells Inlet, to Myrtle Beach State Park, 4401 S. Kings Highway.
The procession from the funeral home to the state park is expected to take about 20 minutes.
This story was originally published August 24, 2020 at 3:19 PM.
