Lawmaker wants Johnson County road named for slain sheriff

By TONY FYFFE

BSN Editor

FRANKFORT — A state lawmaker is seeking to name a road in Johnson County in memory of slain Johnson County Sheriff Gene Cyrus.

State Rep. Bobby McCool, R-Van Lear, filed a resolution Feb. 14 that would designate the road leading to Paintsville Lake State Park as Sheriff Gene Cyrus Memorial Highway.

Cyrus was first elected Johnson County sheriff in 1981 and was in his third term when he was shot to death while attempting to serve a bench warrant on Flem Burchett at Oil Springs on March 18, 1992. He was 56.

Born June 13, 1935, in Lawrence County, Cyrus and his family moved to Johnson County, where he graduated from Paintsville High School in 1955. A standout football player, Cyrus earned a full scholarship to Texas A&M to play under legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.

After college, Cyrus enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Korea. He returned to Kentucky, where he met his wife, Esther Gay Blevins Cyrus. They had three children, Jeania Cyrus, Bucky Cyrus and Angela Cyrus Taylor.

Cyrus had a “long, varied career in which he worked in the oil fields in West Virginia, as an insurance agent, and opened three Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise locations in Eastern Kentucky,” McCool’s House Joint Resolution 43 says.

The resolution says Cyrus’ “legacy continues to be felt in Johnson County, where he is fondly remembered for his dedicated service to its citizens and the Commonwealth.”

The resolution asks that the state Transportation Cabinet designate Ky. 2275 in Johnson County, from its intersection with Ky. 40 until its intersection with Marina Road, as the Sheriff Gene Cyrus Memorial Highway.

In addition to Paintsville Lake State Park, Highland Memorial Park, where Cyrus is buried, is also located on Ky. 2275.