JACKSONVILLE — Family, friends and former colleagues said they remember the late Orval Ray Grimes as fair, just and family-oriented.

Grimes, 72, died of natural causes at his home on Monday, leaving his wife Beverly, son William and many others with warm memories.

Grimes, worked nearly 40 years defending the law and protecting citizens in Cherokee County, spending nearly 32 years with the Jacksonville force.

According to Jacksonville Police personnel records, Grimes started with the department in 1964 as a patrol officer. In 1967, he left the department to work for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department only to return to Jacksonville a year later. He retired from Jacksonville in 1996 as a sergeant, and ran for Precinct 1 Constable, where he served two terms before retiring for good in 2004.

“He very smart and very fair,” said JPD administrative assistant Nancy Jackson, who worked with Grimes for 18 years. “He was laid back. He wasn't an in-your-face type of person. He listened to the story, and he didn't seem like one of those to jump to conclusions.”

Jackson said Grimes' world centered around his family, and he had a passion for the outdoors. She said  he began plotting his deer season plan in the summer.

“He was very much a strong family man and a good guy in general,” she said. “I don't ever remember having a cross word with him.”

And he told everyone the story of how he and his wife of 52 years met.

His wife beverly Grimes said she was working as a cashier at the Palace Theater in Jacksonville, when a handsome stranger caught her eye. Beverly said she told a colleague she was going to date Grimes because she had a feeling he was very nice.

“I saw him through the glass when he came in with his friends,” she said with a light laugh. “He had a different girlfriend every time he came in, and I stopped that.”

Beverly said she had the doorman keep a watchful eye on Orval, and turns out he had a friend keeping a watchful eye on her.

Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Brenda Dominy said as constable Grimes showed her the ropes of the JP office when she was first elected in 1999, and the two remained close for years to follow.

“He's a loving dad, that was for sure,” she said. “He was always talking about his son. He and his wife  were good parents. Instead of Orval worrying about himself, he was worried about his son.”

Beverly said her husband loved police work and had a soft spot for children.

“My daddy always told me he was a teddy bear,” Beverly said. “He said Orval was the worst Mother Hen you ever saw. He was very protective of (their son Billy) but he was protective of any child he was around. That was the kind of person he was.”