HOUSTON— HPD Officer Henry Canales was remembered Monday as a dedicated family man who selflessly gave his life protecting the citizens of Houston.

Canales was shot and killed last week in an undercover sting operation in a Houston Walgreens parking lot.

“We are blessed to have known Henry as one of our family of HPD,” HPD Chaplain Monty Montgomery said at a memorial service at the Grace Community Church Monday morning.

Montgomery told Canales’ wife, Amor, and his children, Henry Jr. and Stephanie, that they were blessed to have had Henry in their lives, as he was blessed to have them in his.

“Henry had great faith. He told Amor and his children that his job was dangerous, but if something happened to him, he knew where he would be,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery said everyone – from city leaders to fellow officers to the citizens of Houston – was thankful for everything Canales did, and that appreciation is key to honoring his legacy.

“What we will never fully understand here on this Earth, but what we should be most thankful for, is how much evil is put aside, how many criminal acts that were prevented every day, and how many citizens’ lives were protected by the good and faithful actions of Henry Canales as a Houston police officer,” Montgomery said.

After the chaplain spoke, friends and fellow officers shared their stories about Canales.

His colleagues called him one of the “best of the best” working undercover.

“My grandfather once told me a man is measured in wealth by the amount of friends that show up to mourn him,” said fellow officer Rodney Storms.  “Look around,” he said motioning to the estimated 5,000 people in attendance at the funeral.  “Look around. Henry is a very, very wealthy man.”

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HPD Chaplain Monty Montgomery speaks at Officer Henry Canales' funeral on Monday, June 29, 2009.

Those at the funeral also said Canales was a prankster who could always be counted on to keep the mood fun and light.

“He was a hero. Not an animated character,” said James Day who was a friend to Henry Canales for nearly three decades. “Not a TV star, but a real life hero.”

One of the most powerful moments in the service came when Canales’ daughter spoke.

She shared her dad’s passion for race cars and spent every weekend with him at the track. 

The 17-year-old told the crowd that her dad will always be her hero.

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“I am honored to have such an amazing father that impacted so many lives. He loved us more than anything in the world, and he will always be in my heart. He is with the Lord right now watching over me. I love you so much, daddy, and I will always be your princess,” Stephanie Canales said.

During her tearful goodbye, Stephanie Canales talked about how each race would start. She said that her father would always say, “I love you” to his 17-year-old and then kiss her on the helmet before the pink dragster raced down the strip.

Officer Canales watched his daughter Stephanie and his son Henry Jr., win dozens of their own races on the drag strip.

The Canales family buried the officer in a private graveside service after the public funeral.

Meanwhile, two suspects are facing capital murder charges in Canales’ death.

Andres Nava-Maldonado, 41, and Xiomara Mendez-Rosales, 36, both appeared in court for detention hearings last week.

Investigators say Nava-Maldonado, Mendez-Rosales and a 16-year-old girl were arrested shortly after fleeing the scene of the shooting.

The man who police say shot Canales, 37-year-old Roberto Carrillo, was killed at the scene by another officer.

Police say all four suspects were in the country illegally.