Local law enforcement legend Mickey Gill, the former Buchanan County Sheriff, died following a brief illness Sunday. He was 64.

Mr. Gill retired as the county's longest-standing sheriff at the end of 2004. He'd brought a calm demeanor and a caring personality to the sheriff's job for nearly 24 years.

After county judges appointed him, voters elected him sheriff in a 1982 special election and returned him to office five more times, said Pat Conway, the Buchanan County Clerk and a friend. Whenever there was a big case, he escorted the prisoner and attended court to make sure things were secure for everyone, Mr. Conway said.

"He was a legend as sheriff," he said.

Mr. Gill joined the Sheriff's Department as a bailiff in 1967. During his 38-year departmental career, he worked in civil process, corrections and criminal investigations, ultimately rising to the rank of major and chief deputy for then-Sheriff Glenn Thomas.

"Everything he did was 100 percent," said Burton Messner, a longtime friend.

After becoming sheriff, several elections were hotly contested with multiple candidates trying to unseat Mr. Gill, yet the sheriff always seemed to keep a calm composure.

"He never said anything bad about anyone," Mr. Messner said.

In 23 years of politics, Mr. Gill seldom asked for contributions. He didn't find it necessary to mix it up in political debates and infrequently campaigned. Voters agreed. He served 23 years and 10 months by the end of his final day in office - Dec. 31, 2004.

Employees and citizens knew it wasn't unusual to see Mr. Gill on road patrol, escorting prisoners or even working at a stove or sink, according to deputies.

"Mr. Gill spent 23 years as a working sheriff, front and center involved in every aspect of law enforcement," said Capt. Mike Babcock, a sheriff's deputy since 1978 and Mr. Gill's friend for 30 years.

Mr. Gill was a compassionate man who cared about people, said Sgt. Galen Higdon, a Buchanan County Sheriff's deputy who worked closely with the man.

People knew he always found time for his family, church and friends.

Mr. Babcock said when he first joined the department, Mr. Gill was a mentor who knew the importance of family.

If someone was having a hard time or Savannah Avenue Baptist Church needed someone to do something, he'd find the time to step forward and volunteer, Mr. Messner said.

"He was the brother to me," he said. "The one I didn't have."

Mr. Gill's tenure broke former Sheriff C.A. "Hopper" Jenkins' 19-year record. Mr. Jenkins held the office from 1949 to 1968. Funeral arrangements for Mr. Gill are pending.

Marshall White can be reached

at marshall@npgco.com.