His calling: Carey Winders considered it an honor to be your sheriff

It takes a special kind of courage to strap on a gun and to risk your life to protect others -- and Sheriff Carey Winders did that for decades -- first as a police officer and later for 20 years as this county's chief law enforcement officer.

He was a hero -- someone who would put his life on the line to protect not only his family, but to protect our families as well.

But although that is what he will be remembered for, it is not what made him special.

We can tell you from absolute personal experience that Sheriff Carey Winders considered it an honor to be the sheriff of this county. He never took one day in the job for granted, and he worked hard to earn the trust that this community placed in him. He worried he wasn't doing enough, and took it personally when anything happened that might embarrass the county he loved so much.

He was a leader in every sense and a man who understood the enormity of the responsibility placed in him. But it was his deputies and officers to whom he gave the credit -- always. He was as proud of them, and all his employees, as any boss could be -- and he did not hesitate to acknowledge the work they did and the sacrifices they made.

But more than a law enforcement professional, Carey Winders was a humble, generous and kind man of faith, active in all sorts of community activities. He tried to live what he believed, while acknowledging his own humanity and shortcomings.

He was a fixture at many local events and community fundraising efforts, in part because he was the sheriff, but also because his heart was as big as the Grand Canyon. It was part of serving, and he did not hesitate to find the time to be there.

He did many, many good deeds that no one knew about, the sort of things that someone does when he has a true measure of what service really means. He was there for his friends, his neighbors and for those he encountered over the years who needed him. Those small gestures did not appear in campaign ads, and he did not tell people about them. It was how he was raised. It was his way.

His sense of humor -- self-deprecating mostly -- was legendary -- and he had a way of making just about anyone feel like he was just the guy next door who happened to have a badge. He never took himself too seriously.

And that was a gift.

We can only imagine the grief his family is feeling today.

This was a tremendous loss of a man who had so much more to give and a lifetime to share with the family of whom he was so proud. We hope they find comfort in knowing just how much the husband, father and grandfather they knew was loved and respected. His family shared him with the community -- and we are grateful for that.

Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Carey Winders leaves enormous shoes to fill. We can only hope this county will find a man of his caliber to carry on the work he has begun.

He was, in every sense of the word, the kind of man this community should be proud to have had as its sheriff.

He was its protector, its champion and its hero.

And there is no higher calling and no more honorable legacy. Rest in peace, Sheriff.

Published in Editorials on January 25, 2014 11:06 PM