Utah woman honors fallen UHP trooper with portrait

MANTI — For having never met Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Ellsworth, who was struck by a vehicle on Nov. 19 and died from his injuries a few days later, Kaziah Hancock has the ability to capture much more than just his facial features.

Her goal with every fallen officer she paints is to memorialize the service he or she gave to his or her communities. Tragically in the month of November, the number of portraits went up — fallen officers from all across the country.

"Twenty have gone out this month, and I am looking at 15 more before Christmas,” she said.

Another portrait she painted this month was of West Valley City Police office Cody Brotherson, who was killed in the line of duty Nov. 6.

“I just burn the candles and midnight oil and go a little crazy and work all hours of the night,” Hancock said.

Hancock first began sharing her artistic talent during the war with Iraq, painting fallen soldiers. She now paints officers and the paintings now total 1,697.

“The prayers of my mother when we were kids — she was a widow — and we were orphans and she would always pray, ‘God bless the widows and the orphans,’” Hancock said. “I continued that prayer. Now, I am an old lady, and now I am an artist.”

With so many tragic police deaths, it was becoming a hardship for Hancock to cover the cost of materials herself — on average $100 for each officer she paints.

Donations allow Hancock to continue, hoping each portrait she mails out will help the fallen officer's family feel some peace.

“I am grateful for those who have been kind enough to cover the materials so I could do it,” she said.

People can donate* to Hancock's cause at this website or by mailing donations to Project Compassion, P.O. Box 153 Manti, UT 84642.

Ellsworth's funeral will take place on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Dee Event Center in Ogden. KSL will provide coverage of the funeral.

Contributing: Xoel Cardenas

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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