OLYMPIA — State lawmakers passed a resolution Wednesday honoring the life and accomplishments of slain correctional officer Jayme Biendl.
“Jayme was quite the person,” said Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, who sponsored the resolution passed unanimously by the House of Representatives. “She touched so many people. She did her job with distinction.”
Biendl, 34, was killed Jan. 29 while working in the chapel at the Monroe Correctional Complex. Convicted rapist Byron Scherf has admitted strangling her, according to court papers.
Pearson’s House Resolution 4624 praises Biendl for her “exemplary service” which included being named officer of the year by her peers in 2008.
He also recited a prayer he wrote for her and the state’s corrections officers, which began, “Lord, remember the custodians of justice, they do their best for all those in our state.”
Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish, and Rep. Connie Ladenburg, D-Tacoma, also spoke prior to the resolution’s passage.
“Just weeks ago, very few of us had ever heard the name Jayme Biendl,” Ladenburg said. “She was smart, she was kind, she was well-loved. She was 34 years old. But she will never be another day older.
“Jayme’s life mattered. We honor her,” she said. “We honor her public service and we will remember her name.”
Corrections officers Shane Zey and Deborah Washington, who worked with Biendl at the Monroe Correctional Complex, watched the proceedings from the House gallery.
“She was an officer, a co-worker and a friend and deserves every accolade she can get. She made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Zey, a 10-year veteran at Monroe.
They said the memory of Biendl is on the minds of correctional complex employees every day.
The mood “is certainly better than it was on the 29th.” he said “But it is far from being normal.”
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com
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