Graveside services held for Lawrence County’s longest-serving sheriff

By TONY FYFFE

BSN Editor

LOUISA — When he served his last day as Lawrence County sheriff on Dec. 31, 2018, bringing his 30-year law enforcement career to an end, Garrett Michael Roberts Jr. said “it has been a journey” that “started at the bottom and finished at the top.”

It was also historic.

Roberts, who died Friday at the age of 54 at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington after a long illness, was Lawrence County’s longest-serving sheriff. He was also the first sheriff in the county to have academy training, according to the Louisa Police Department, where Roberts began his law enforcement career.

A Democrat, Roberts was elected to his first four-year term as the county’s top law enforcement officer in 2002 and re-elected in 2006, 2010 and 2014. He did not seek a fifth term in 2018.

During his 16-year tenure, Roberts was named Sheriff of the Year by the Kentucky Sheriffs’ Association.

His obituary says Roberts loved his role as a public servant, which began as a member of the Louisa Fire Department and continued as a dispatcher for the city of Louisa.

He then became a patrolman for the Louisa Police Department and later served a stint as its chief.

“His lifelong dedication to his community will be missed,” the department said in a Facebook post Friday. “Rest easy our brother. Our prayers go out to his family.”

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office also paid tribute to Roberts on Facebook, noting that the former sheriff started the Shop with a Cop and Coats for Kids programs in Lawrence County.

Those were his proudest accomplishments, according to his obituary.

Outside of his law enforcement role, Roberts was a member of the band South Dixie Highway, which played at local functions.

“Garrett loved music and enjoyed playing every chance he got,” his obituary says. “Garrett loved his community and did so with pride. He loved his family and friends especially his precious grandbabies. He loved the role of Papaw. Most importantly he loved His Lord and Savior.”

Roberts is survived by his wife, Teka Roberts; his parents, Ronnie and Mary Sue Wright Wheeler; a son, Marc Workman of Ashland; a daughter, Jessica Wells of Fallsburg; two brothers, Tony Roberts and Thomas Wheeler, both of Louisa; and three grandchildren.

Graveside services were held Monday, April 5, at Yatesville Memorial Gardens.