RACINE - Marco A. Rodriguez, who drowned Sunday off North Beach, left a lasting impression in the community.

Rodriguez, 42, went to Janes Elementary School, Gilmore Middle School and Horlick High School. He did not graduate from Horlick, but went into the Marine Corps, where he earned his high school diploma.

In the Marines, Rodriguez was part of a military police unit, his family said, and when he got out, he knew he wanted to go into law enforcement.

He got a job with a security company, then joined the police force.

For 13 years Rodriguez was an officer in Racine. He left the force in 2004, and went into real estate and construction. About the time he joined the police force, he also joined forces with several friends to create Mexican Fiesta, the annual Hispanic festival at Festival Hall. The organization has given away more than $60,000 in scholarships since its inception.

"I feel I owe my life to Marco," said Benito Martinez, Rodriguez's brother-in-law. "He arrested me and did his job as a police officer.

"I became a born-again Christian. He always came to me with the word of God. I always knew God was in his life, too."

Martinez said that Rodriguez helped him get past the substance abuse that had been ruling his life. His wife, MaryJane Martinez, said that in the wake of her brother's death, they have learned how important he was to so many people.

"We've heard stories of his friends," she said. "We've seen so many people, and now I can put a face with the name. They've stepped up to offer help."

Rodriguez's family and friends remember him as a happy person, always trying to keep the peace and help out.

"Anytime you hear Marco Rodriguez, you associate it with a big smile and a loving guy," friend Norma Cortese said. "People know Marco Rodriguez was a good person."

He was always doing the "Emilio shuffle," his family said. Gilbert Delgado, who knew Rodriguez from his days on the Police and Fire Commission, said the funny dance - copied from Tejano singer Emilio Navaira and his brother Raul - was Rodriguez's signature, even when making a traffic stop.

Delgado said Rodriguez would pull someone over, open the door, music still playing on his personal radio, and do the dance as he adjusted his vest.

Delgado said Rodriguez showed compassion to those he met, whether it was a young person in need of guidance, or someone without a home.

One night on Sixth Street, Delgado said, Rodriguez encountered a homeless man using a cardboard box to keep out the cold.

"I remember standing there," Delgado said, "I know Marco, that night, he put him up. I followed him over to (a motel) and he put him up."

Delgado said he offered Rodriguez money to help pay for the room, and Rodriguez refused.

"That's the kind of guy he was," Delgado said.

Visitation will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, at Strouf Funeral Home, 1001 High St.

The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home, with burial to follow at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 21731 Spring St., Dover.