Oktibbeha County said goodbye to a servant of 30 years this week.
Jimmy Shurden, 28-year District 1 constable and former 37-year Mississippi State University employee, was laid to rest Thursday at the Adaton Baptist Church cemetery following a service at Meadowview Baptist Church.
Shurden, 68, passed away Tuesday after a months-long battle with liver cancer.
Friends and fellow law enforcement officers remembered the constable as an exemplary worker and a man who took joy in service.
“He was a great guy to be around. He had a great sense of humor,” said Oktibbebha County Sheriff”s Office Chief Deputy George Carrithers. “He was willing to help anyone who needed help. He would go above and beyond the call of duty anytime anybody needed anything.”
“He was somebody you could depend on. He was a hard worker and an honest individual,” said Starkville Police Chief David Lindley, who works with Shurden”s wife, Ruby, a staff support technician at the Starkville Police Department.
Early in his career at MSU”s Physical Plant, Shurden joined the Oktibbeha County Sheriff”s Office as a deputy. Throughout his public service career he also served as an EMT and a bailiff in Justice Court.
“He”s been dedicated to the community in everything he”s done,” said Carrithers.
Ruby, Shurden”s wife of 23 years, didn”t skip a beat Tuesday in carrying on her husband”s legacy of commitment to duty. After Shurden passed away Tuesday morning, Lindley said Ruby was at work that same day making sure payroll was done on deadline.
The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors will appoint an interim constable to fulfill Shurden”s term until county elections are held in November. Shurden was not seeking reelection.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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