JOHNSON COUNTY — Indiana State Police Trooper Aaron Smith is being remembered as a helper, who spent his time giving back to the community he and his wife called home.
And that's what they were doing, just two days before he was killed in the line of duty.
On Monday, Smith and his wife were out helping their neighbors clean up from the damage left behind by Sunday's tornado.
Fletcher Newman says while the tornadoes were tragic, losing Smith is something their community will have a hard time recovering from.
Newman and his wife, Marci, belong to the same crossfit gym as the Smiths, that's how they heard about the destruction to their home.
"It just breaks your heart," Newman said. We did lose a good one. The community lost a good one."
When the tornado blew through on Travis Road and left debris and damage at Newman's home, he says Smith and his wife, Megan, didn't hesitate to jump in and help their neighbors clean up.
"Marci said 'what are you guys doing here?', and Aaron said 'well, why wouldn't we be here?'," Newman said.
The couple, who were just acquaintances at the time, showed up for the Newman family in their time of need. It's a common theme among the stories about them from anyone who knew them.
"Megan just had back surgery, so she was in a brace but she was still out here raking and picking up sticks," Newman said.
Newman said the couple spent several hours helping them clean up from the damage, and then Smith turned around and went to work that night.
The couple's crossfit family gathered on Thursday to grieve the loss of their friends.
Owner Jennifer Brinkley said the pain of losing Smith has been unbearable.
"Getting that call last night was... shocking," Brinkley said. "You just know that you are never going to be able to see that person ever again... He was so much more than a state trooper."
"He touched so many people's lives," she said. "I will do better because I knew Aaron."
