Former Broward County Sheriff Nick Navarro and his wife, Sharron, were the love of each others' lives, inseparable for the majority of their 39 years together. Now, they are apart by no choice of their own.
"He was just my soul mate. I'm going to miss him terribly," an emotional Sharron Navarro said.
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Nick Navarro died Wednesday at his home. The former Broward County sheriff had been suffering from colon cancer.
"We brought him from the hospital home," said Sharron Navarro. "We put him in his bed, and he was surrounded by his two sons, his daughter, two grandchildren and myself."
Sharron Navarro reminisced with Local 10's John Turchin at their luxurious waterfront home along the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale. It was their dream home.
"This is very European, boutique hotel kind of a thing," Sharron Navarro shared as she and Turchin toured the three-story home. "We've loved it very much. It's very tranquil -- very."
While Nick Navarro will be remembered for a long, distinguished law enforcement career, serving as a federal narcotics agent and a tough-minded sheriff, Sharron Navarro was quick to point out that there was a side of her husband that few got to see.
"He would like to just go fishing, or just stay home at night with his two little dogs and watch TV. He loved his two little dogs," she said.
While strumming through thousands of photos she had stored away in boxes to be used for a slideshow Monday at Nick Navarro's funeral, Sharron Navarro often seemed to be touched by those showing their loving embraces.
"He was a very affectionate person. We were always hugging and kissing each other," she proudly recalled.
And, she was proudest of one picture of Nick on the back porch holding a small American flag as a U.S. Navy ship passed by their home one July 4th.
"I don't think there was a person in the United States who loved his country more than he did. He was the most patriotic person. He'd get tears in his eyes when they'd sing the National Anthem or God Bless America," his wife said.
But without a doubt, Sharron Navarro was moved most when discussing how the two met. She said it was love at first sight. She was a secretary to the then-Broward County Sheriff Ed Stack. Nick Navarro was a potential hire that walked in for an interview, but she remembers him telling her he was a camera equipment salesman.
"He was a good-looking man," she recalled, "and I loved the accent. We had the most wonderful relationship. Never have and never will we see another man like him."
The viewing will be Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale. The funeral will be Monday at 11 a.m. at the same church. After that, Navarro will be buried at the Lauderdale Memorial Park Cemetery at 2001 SW Fourth Ave.