OHIO COUNTY, W. Va. (WTRF)
Tom Burgoyne was an FBI agent, then became Ohio County Sheriff from 2000 to 2008.
He was known for his warmth, professionalism and devotion to family, duty and community.
Accolades are rolling in from all parts of the community.
Former Ohio County Sheriff passes away
They say he was a conscientious lawman with compassion, the ability to hear both sides of a story, and always a twinkle in his eye.
It’s a sad day at the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department, as all the officers have mourning strips across their badges.
They say Tom Burgoyne was a sheriff who blazed trails and did unprecedented things for his officers.
They say he raised deputies’ pay, upgraded equipment, established the Special Response Team, created the K-9 division, and in one officer’s words, “improved the morale and professionalism of everyone he worked with.”
“He was very busy in the community even after he retired,” said current Sheriff Tom Howard. “He was a great man. We’d always run into each other and say ‘Hey Sheriff!’ to each other. Or he’d famously yell, ‘Hey Tommy!’ “
WKKX Radio Talk Show Host Howard Monroe expressed great respect for Burgoyne.
“The one thing I think of when I think of Tom Burgoyne, it’s not the FBI guy, it’s not the sheriff, it’s not the great stories he would tell, it’s what a great guy he was, what a great human being he was,” said Monroe. “He cared so much about other people.”
Burgoyne had a 39-year career in law enforcement.
He was also a community leader, a helper who could be seen serving food to the hungry or coaching a baseball team.
He was the YSS Good Samaritan of 2021.
“I have a very deep respect for Tom Burgoyne,” said Sheriff Howard. “He’s going to be missed.”
“Was he a great law enforcement officer? Absolutely,” noted Howard Monroe. “Was he a great storyteller? Oh absolutely. But better than anything else, he was just a great man.”
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released a statement Thursday on the death of Burgoyne, saying that he and his wife were “heartbroken.”
Sen. Manchin (D-WV) reacts to death of former Ohio County Sheriff Tom Burgoyne
