According to Martha Tarsia, grass never grew under her son Kevin’s feet. He did just about everything, stretching his deputy sheriff’s salary to the limit by doing a lot of work himself. Barns and motorcycles, classic cars and snowmobiles - he had the knack for making things work. Though deputy sheriffs don’t make a lot of money, Kevin was able to purchase a home and a farm, building the barn himself. He owned two horses and spent a lot of his off duty time working on his farm. On his free Sundays he could be found cheering on his favorite team - the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He enjoyed motorcycling and snowmobiling, and was particularly proud of a classic Camaro that he and his brothers had restored. He loved music and was an avid hunter, camper and water skier. He traveled the country when time and finances allowed, and did whatever he needed to make every day count.
But above all he was a police officer. After spending a brief time with the Town of Greene Police Department, Kevin Tarsia was proud to become a Broome County Deputy Sheriff. Sheriff David Harder knew that Kevin loved his job and believed that the people should be protected and treated fairly. He was a hard working police officer, and had an impressive arrest record. He spent thirteen years serving the people of Broome County.
On July 4, 2002, Deputy Tarsia was on routine patrol in the Town of Kirkwood. He observed suspicious activity in a small park, located less than ½ mile from his home. Unbeknownst to him, three criminals had just burglarized a gun store in Pennsylvania, a few miles south of the park. The suspects were in the process of transferring the stolen weapons to another vehicle when observed by Deputy Tarsia. As he exited his patrol vehicle, the suspects opened fire with several weapons, assassinating Deputy Tarsia before he had an opportunity to respond.