Carlos Ponce (Courtesy Photo)

A phone call in the middle of the night was normal at the Ponce house.

That's because Sgt. Carlos Ponce gave his phone number to troubled young men and women he met during the course of his work.

"He told them to call if they got into trouble," his wife Esther said. "They sure did. He was just a very giving man."

Ponce, 55, who lived in Chino Hills and last worked at the sheriff's Walnut/Diamond Bar Station, recently died after a six-week battle with leukemia. Friends, family members and fellow law enforcement officers gathered Thursday to mourn a 27-year Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department veteran who was once honored for bravery after he was badly wounded while intervening in a robbery.

"He was always mentoring people," said Esther Ponce. "He thought he was going to change the world."

Through his assignments at various stations in Los Angeles County, as well as positions in jail facilities and the sheriff's gang investigation team, Ponce often reached out to help at-risk youths stay out of trouble, his wife said.

Ponce was also awarded the sheriff's Medal of Valor after he was shot in the face while interrupting a robbery in La Mirada on Jan. 15, 1998, according to a statement regarding the incident from the Sheriff's Department.

He arrived at Conroy's Flowers in La Mirada to buy flowers for his wife while off-duty, authorities said. While inside the store, a would-be robber pulled a gun on a 16-year-old girl working the register and demanded money.

"Although Deputy Ponce could have fired upon the suspect immediately without announcing his presence, his instinct was to protect the lives of innocent bystanders and a frightened clerk emerged," according to the sheriff's statement.

When the robber raised his weapon toward Ponce, the deputy fired on the man but missed, authorities said.

"The suspect returned fire, hitting Deputy Ponce in the face," the statement added.

A wounded Ponce continued firing and wounded the suspect, who fled empty-handed and without hurting anyone else. Ponce's attacker was later arrested and convicted.

Ponce returned to work exactly one year after the shooting, said Brett Bodenstedt, a fellow sergeant at the sheriff's Walnut/Diamond Station.

The bullet from the shooting, which traveled down from his face and lodged in his torso, was never removed. Ponce suffered with pain every day because of it, his wife said.

Esther Ponce said her husband was, "overly passionate about his job. His life was the department."

She added that he even delayed their wedding after getting a promotion because of his new responsibilities.

In addition to being a dedicated and tenacious sheriff's deputy, Bodenstedt said Sgt. Ponce was also known for being fair and respectful.

"He was a big-time team player," Bodenstedt said. From important officials to those he was arresting, "He showed everyone respect. They respect him."

Carlos Ponce is survived by a 9-year-old daughter, with whom he was very close, two grown step-children and three grandchildren, his wife said. "He was very family-oriented."

He enjoyed working on his 1966 Chevelle and barbecuing, she said, adding that she met him while he was barbecuing to celebrate the promotion of other deputies. The couple was married for 17 years.

He also enjoyed collecting guns, Bodenstedt said.

Carlos Ponce was born in Mexico City before moving with his family to Texas as a toddler, Esther Ponce said.

He moved to Southern California as a teenager and graduated from Excelsior High School in Norwalk before going on to earn his bachelor's degree in physical education and English from Occidental College.

Following a private service Thursday, Carlos Ponce was expected to be cremated, his wife said.

"He touched a lot of people," she said. "He will definitely be remembered by a lot of people."