Mourners filled the pews in St. Augustine Cathedral on Thursday for the funeral Mass for Deborah Martinez-Garibay, the Pima County constable who was shot while serving an eviction notice last week.

La agente Deborah Martínez-Garibay fue asesinada cuando intentaba ejecutar un desalojo.

Deborah’s daughter, Ryane Martinez-Garibay, passionately clutched an American flag in honor of her mother, leading her casket in a procession to the head of the church. Among others, Deborah’s father Joe Martinez and her husband Gabriel Garibay served as pallbearers, carrying their loved one to the cathedral’s grand arch.

Dozens of family members, friends, law enforcement personnel and local government officials attended the Mass in the downtown cathedral. Among the dark-colored clothing of most attendees, a few pews shone with the red polo shirts of PGA HOPE members whom Deborah volunteered with through the adaptive golf program for veterans she ran in Tucson.

Deborah served 16 years in the Army and dedicated her life to helping veterans upon returning home. The 43-year-old was appointed by the Pima County Board of Supervisors as constable for Justice Precinct 8 in midtown Tucson in March.

Last Thursday, Deborah was one of three killed at Lind Commons Apartments after a man being evicted shot her, apartment manager Angela Fox-Heath and bystander Elijah Miranda before turning the gun on himself.

Former Pueblo High School Principal Richard Gastelum, who worked at the school when Deborah and her three older sisters went there, provided a eulogy on the family’s behalf.

Margaret Martinez hugs Joe Martinez at the casket of their daughter, Pima County Constable Deborah Martinez-Garibay, after a funeral mass at St. Augustine Cathedral on Thursday.

He told attendees about how Deborah expressed insecurity to her sister while training for military intelligence in Afghanistan. Her sister, Michelle Martinez-LaVetter, “got on her case and boosted her confidence that as a woman, she was just as smart and capable as a man,” Gastelum said.

Deborah earned the title of Master Interrogator as a military intelligence specialist and acquired the rank of Army staff sergeant.

Deborah’s boldness preceded her military career, as on her 18th birthday, she married without telling her parents, Gastelum said, and Deborah and Gabriel Garibay returned to their separate homes after tying the knot.

“Can you imagine the expression on (her mother’s) face when Deborah flashed the wedding ring? I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when Joe got home,” Gastelum joked.

He said Deborah took on the constable position “to continue her life and service to the community” and that she “planned to approach people with empathy and humanity, characteristics learned from a lifetime of giving.”

Deborah’s death is still being investigated by law enforcement, but it’s surfaced larger questions about the role of a constable, and her family has demanded answers about the circumstances of the death.

“There are numerous discussions at Pima County and the city of Tucson. Police will be changing policies and protocols regarding the responsibilities of the constable position,” Gastelum said. “When change happens, every sacrifice will not have been in vain.”

Gastelum ended his eulogy by sharing a sentiment from Martinez-Garibay’s mother, Margaret Martinez

“Deborah was deployed to Afghanistan, her mother Margaret asked God to protect her. She was putting her daughter in his hands,” he said. “She now says it was an honor to be her mother, and again, putting Deborah in God’s loving hands.”

In addition to her husband and daughter, Deborah is survived by her parents, Joe and Margaret Martinez, and her sisters Connie Hall, Michelle Martinez-LaVetter and Joanna Caballero.

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Contact reporter Nicole Ludden at nludden@tucson.com