JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – A longtime beaches police officer -- remembered by family as “superman” and by the community he served as a coach, mentor and giving spirit -- will be remembered Tuesday with a Celebration of Life at the Church of Eleven22.
Eddie Bounds, veteran officer in Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach, was then honored by his colleagues with a procession from the Beach Boulevard church to the graveside service at H. Warren Smith Cemetery in Jacksonville Beach.
The Celebration of Life began at 3 p.m. Bounds wife said everyone was welcome, and a family friend said the service was “very well attended.”
“Eddie was loved by this community. He was a fixture at the beach for all his life. He just did a lot of good for a lot of people, coached a lot of people, mentored a lot of kids,” said Scott Hylton. “I heard stories last night of men in their 30s and 40s coming up and thanking Janice and the family for getting them straight in life.”
Following the service, police escorted Bounds’ body through the streets of Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach before ending at the cemetery where he’ll be laid to rest with a 21 gun salute.
Bounds served for the beaches departments and school board police for more than 40 years and also coached baseball and football at Fletcher High School, mentored youth, fed the homeless and raised his family in the community he grew up in.
He died Aug. 21 following a battle with COVID-19.
His wife said before he passed he wanted to leave behind a legacy and not a reputation.
“He was a good man, a very good man,” his wife, Janice Bounds, told News4Jax. “I’m going to miss him.”
She said he was a great father, raising Cayla and Tyler, who followed in his father’s footsteps as a police officer. His second grandchild was born three days after his death.
The Bounds family said they are thankful for the support they have received from the beaches community. A Neptune Beach cruiser in front of Bounds’ home is covered with flowers and cards and is surrounded by American flags. It is now a reminder of the lives he touched, the lives he changed for the better.