Former Lynchburg sheriff Lawrence Simpson dies at 77

Lynchburg’s former sheriff was the kind of man who put people first, his former colleagues said.

Lawrence Watson Simpson Jr.’s office walls were decorated with letters and mementos from inmates who spent time in the jail he ran, said Lynchburg Police Chief Parks Snead.

Simpson, who served as Lynchburg’s sheriff from 1974 to 2001, was a mentor to many in law enforcement in the Lynchburg area. The 77-year-old died Monday at the University of Virginia Medical Center.

Snead remembers the former sheriff as a man who made it a point to know his colleagues and the community.

“I hadn’t worked here three months when I was walking down the sidewalk past Sheriff Simpson and he knew me by name,” Snead said. “He knew my first name and he asked about my family.”

A 1949 graduate of E.C. Glass High School, Simpson served in the Korean conflict with the U.S. Army. When he returned, Simpson studied at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore for a year as a voice major, but found he had trouble re-acclimating himself to civilian life.

He returned to Lynchburg and began working at a drug store before applying for an opening at the Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office. He was promoted quickly to chief deputy and after 11 years at the department, he was appointed sheriff in 1974 when the sheriff at the time resigned because of health issues.

Retired deputy Sam Guthrie described his former employer as a compassionate, caring and talented man.

“He did me a favor and gave me a job,” Guthrie said. “It was an honor to work for him.”

The day Guthrie’s father died, Simpson was there to support him.

Guthrie had left work early that day and was visiting a neighbor when his mother called and said his father had collapsed. Guthrie and the neighbor rushed back and began performing CPR. Guthrie rode to the hospital with his father. He was alone.

“At my time of loss, there was no one and he just showed up,” Guthrie said. “My father knew him very well.”

Maj. Donald Sloan, chief deputy of the Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office, said while he never worked for Simpson, he did work with him while Sloan was chief of the Liberty University Police Department.

Sloan said Simpson’s department was one of the first in the area to use drug-sniffing canines and those dogs were used by the Liberty police department as well as other area departments.

“He was always a friend to law enforcement,” said Sloan. “He was always gracious to me and willing to help.”

Snead said Simpson served as a mentor to several police officers still working at the Lynchburg Police Department. He described the former sheriff as a wise, intelligent and articulate person.

“People were important to Sheriff Simpson,” Snead said. “The Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office is a lasting legacy that Simpson helped mold.”

The sheriff’s office handles security in Lynchburg’s courtrooms, provides civil service and when Simpson was sheriff, was in charge of overseeing the jail. That responsibility disappeared when the Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority took control in 2000.

Simpson is survived by his wife, Elaine Barksdale Simpson, and son Kevin Scott Simpson.

His funeral service will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at Fort Hill United Methodist Church and his burial will follow in Fort Hill Memorial Park.

A reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Fort Hill United Methodist Church.