MACON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — More than 100 men and women in law enforcement paved the way as Sgt. William Cherry was returned from the medical examiner’s office in Nashville to the Anderson and Son Funeral Home in Lafayette Saturday afternoon.

“Sgt. Cherry was an absolutely honorable deputy, he served with honor, dignity,” Macon County Sheriff Joseph Wilburn said. “With the community outreach it just shows to his character what he’s done for this community and how sadly he’ll be missed.”

Cherry lost his life roughly seven miles from the sheriff’s office where he served for more than half a decade. According to investigators, Cherry was heading south on Highway 10 around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 29, when a Ford F-150 heading north crossed the center line, hitting Cherry head-on.

“I looked out my window, and there was blue lights from here as far as I could see up down the road,” said JC Frye, who lived near the crash site.

That sea of blue stuck close to Cherry and his family Saturday, the risks associated with their line of work brought top of mind.

“It’s always a split-second decision: something happens, and you never know. But I have a whole department full of officers that are not only mourning along with everybody else but they’re also answering the call day-to-day. Even today, they’re going back out,” Wilburn said.

Back at the sheriff’s office, more support trickled in with a makeshift memorial of candles, flowers and messages of support.

“God bless them. I certainly pray and hope for them,” Frye said.

Cherry isn’t only missed in Macon County, but also by fellow law enforcement officers in Red Boiling Springs, where he worked before going to the sheriff’s office.

“He was an older deputy that a lot of people looked up to. He had a good sense of humor, he had a great personality, he made everybody laugh. It’s a hard loss,” Wilburn said.

According to Cherry’s obituary, visitation will take place at the Anderson and Son Funeral Home in Lafayette from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, July 31, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1.

There will also be an hour-long visitation period starting at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 2, at Macon County High School in Lafayette, followed by the funeral service at 1 p.m. and the interment in the Gamaliel Cemetery.

Follow these links if you would like to order memorial trees or send flowers to Cherry’s family in his honor.