Fallen Highlands County deputy remembered, returns home

The body of fallen Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Deputy William Gentry returned home Thursday morning to Sebring.

A procession of law enforcement and dozens of members of the community watched the ambulance carry the hero home.

“They don’t ask, they just do the job and they’re every day heroes,” Sebring resident Monica Stone said.

More than 1,200 people came out to celebrate the life of Highlands County Deputy William Gentry, including several members of law enforcement from all over the state. Gentry will be remembered as a role model and someone who brought honor to his uniform.

“When you got to know him, you know he was just a big teddy bear with a heart of gold,” former Highlands County deputy Jamie Casey said.

Several deputies bowed their head and stood around Gentry’s flag-draped casket at the Stephenson-Nelson Funeral home. The sheriff’s office honor guard later moved Gentry into a hearse where he was then driven to be cremated.

Community members hope his family can find peace knowing he was so loved and respected.

“The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office and our community has lost a part of our core, that will be very hard to, it’ll be impossible to replace,” Casey said.

The funeral for Gentry will take place at 11 a.m. on May 15 at Highlands News-Sun Center at 781 Magnolia Ave. in Sebring.

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