Fallen Madison County Sheriff's Deputy Terry Dyer honored in nationwide memorial
A little over a year after his death, Madison County Sheriff’s Deputy Terry Dyer was honored at a presentation Monday morning as part of a mobile, cross-country memorial project.
While the summer sun beat down on attendees, six motorcycles escorted a forty-foot memorial trailer—bearing pictures of 608 fallen officers from across the country, including Dyer—into the parking lot of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).
The memorial is part of the “Beyond the Call of Duty—End of Watch Ride to Remember” program that honors fallen officers annually.
“We start every year out of Spokane, Washington, and we represent all the men and women who died the year before in the line of duty,” said Jagrut Shah, the founder and chairman of the initiative and former Yakima County Sheriff’s deputy. “This year we are honoring the 608 beautiful men and women who are on our memorial—we’re going to 268 departments in 80 days, and covering a little over 2300 miles on our motorcycles.”
There are between 10-15 riders in the group at any given time, Shah said, which includes family members of fallen officers.
“We ride every single mile for all these good men and women,” he said. “We share their love, knowledge and who they were to everybody who will listen to us to help people realize that these beautiful, beautiful people have a story to tell.”
The group stopped at the MSCO to present the inclusion of Terry Dyer into the memorial, offering friends and family of Dyer time to appreciate the memorial.
Dyer—who served in law enforcement for nearly 30 years with the Lexington Police Department, Jackson Police Department, Community Corrections and the Madison County Sheriffs Department—died on April 20th, 2021 after collapsing in General Sessions court.
“Terry and I, when I was TBI, we were really close,” said Sheriff John Mehr. “He as my go-to man if I needed something because I knew he could get done…Terry did so much for some many people that no one will ever know, because he never talked about it. That was just Terry.
“He was the best—trainees learned more from terry than anyone else. He could tell you not only how to do the job, but how to have feelings for other people while doing the job. That’s so important in this. We need more Terry Dyer’s in the world.”
Shah expressed his appreciation for Dyer based on the tremendous outpouring of love from the community for the memorial.
“Madison County lost a very humble and honorable man,” he said. “I start learning as I come to each stop. Even the brief time I’ve been here, I realized that this beautiful man not only served this county, but he served a different department. And he is continuing to give back to the community and the beautiful residents of this area.
“We wanted to make sure that this department knows we will not let the community forget this man, and we will not let the nation forget this man.”
The memorial, which began its journey on June 1st, will drive next on its cross-country journey to the Wilson County Sheriff's Office, Overton County Sheriff's Office, before heading into Alabama.
The ride will end back in Washington, where it began, at its 268th department on August 18th.
Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, by phone at 731-343-5212, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Fallen Madison County Sheriff's Deputy Terry Dyer honored in nationwide memorial
