Bellaire officer remembered by family, other officers

HOUSTON – The loved ones of a Bellaire policemen killed in the line of duty gathered Sunday at a funeral home in west Houston.

Officer Marco Antonio Zarate, 52, leaves behind a wife and three daughters.

Friends and family members met at the Memorial Oaks Funeral Home to pay their respects. They were joined by officers — not just from Bellaire but from Pearland, Fort Bend County and Houston.

“He was one of the good ones,” a loved one said.

That’s how a fellow officer described Zarate.

One officer said she will never forget his big smile. It was a smile that could light up a room, she said.

Zarate pulled over two shoplifting suspects in Meyerland plaza, but they took off and led him on a chase. He died after crashing into a parked trailer.

She said officer talked about how police officers are on alert after the tragedies in Baton Rouge and Dallas.
She said they put on their uniform without hesitation and with a tough face, even though their dying inside.

Zarate’s funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the co-cathedral in Downtown.