Orangeburg (WACH)- Family and friends are saying their final goodbyes to Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams. Williams died last week; tomorrow would have been his 54th birthday. More than a thousand people went out in the dreary weather to pay their respects to someone known as a pleasant and proactive man.
"I call him a gentle giant and I always told him his bark is bigger than his bite. He was a wonderful man," says Chief Micheal Bartley, who worked with Williams. Chief Bartley first met Williams in 19-96 and they became fast friends.
Bartley says, "He’s a great friend and I consider him a mentor of mine also. I felt a void that I lost a good friend and not had the chance to say goodbye."
"(He’s) always bringing that enthusiasm and positive attitude- he's going to be missed," says SLED Director Reggie Lloyd. He calls Williams a forward thinker.
"That mindset of being willing to try different things and be very creative led to an improvement of public safety in Orangeburg."
As the services were held inside the rain poured down outside soaking the line of police cars flashing their lights in tribute to the Sheriff.
Mourner and family friend Lorraine Johnson recalls the day she found out Williams had died. "It was disbelief because we always knew Larry to be outgoing and not down and sick or anything."
Larry Williams was elected Sheriff in 2000 and named the 2003 South Carolina Sheriff of the year. The cause of death has not yet been released. Contributions can be made to the Larry D. Williams scholarship fund.
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