Harris County Sheriff's deputies remember Sgt. Raymond Scholwinski

HARRIS COUNTY - Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies are remembering the life of Sergeant Raymond (Ray) Scholwinski.

The 70-year-old lost his life May 6 after battling Coronavirus COVID-19 for several weeks.

“There’s a hole in all of our hearts today,” said HSCO Captain Michael Koteras. “Nobody can fill it.”

Scholwinski first tested positive for COVID-19 in March and spent several weeks in a hospital.

“He was the humblest sergeant,” said HCSO Deputy Amelia Wheeler. “The nicest sergeant. The sergeant that was patient and willing to help anybody that needed him.”

“On Saturday when he got sick, I called him,” said Koteras. “We didn’t know he was sick yet. I told him, Ray, you’re working from home until this is over. I just think, maybe if I had done that a week earlier, maybe things would be different.”

In April, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office held an emotional prayer and moment of silence for Scholwinski. At the time, the sergeant was in critical condition.

“I know that yesterday when the Blue Angels flew that sky, that he left with them,” said Wheeler. “I knew it.”

Scholwinski started volunteering within HCSO in 1979. In 1993, he officially joined the force. We’re told he had been scheduled to retire this past January, but instead kept working.

Outside the Harris County Annex 3 courthouse in Humble Thursday, deputies lined-up wearing masks and carrying a sign. The sign said, “Pray for Ray”.

“The last phone conversation I had with him before he was admitted to the hospital was, don’t cry,” Wheeler reflected. “God has me in his hands. Everything is going to be okay.”