by Chris Conte
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Of the 312 people employed by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Norman Lewis knew almost every single one.
"I would venture to say that probably 90-percent of the people who worked here, he looked at he smiled at and shook their hands. He was a people person," says Chief Deputy John Smith.
A two year long battle with leukemia didn't just take away Deputy Smith's boss on Sunday, it was also took away his friend and his mentor.
"Probably the last thing I told him was that call me if you need anything, and we'll see you later," Smith recalls
Everyone in the sheriff's office hoped so deeply Sheriff Lewis would get better, they made a point to open his office door and turn on his lights each day.
"He wanted the sheriff's office to be the place that if people needed help, they knew they could come here and find help or we would find it for them," Smith added.
Around Clarksville they will tell you the word dedication was defined by the 71-year-old sheriff and his nearly four decades of public service.
"Wherever he was, he was doing the work of the people. Even when he was sick and diagnosed and was in the hospital he worked right up until the day that he died," Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan said.
Sheriff Lewis will be buried with full honors on Friday October 19 at 1p.m. at First Baptist Church in Clarksville.
