Petty remembered for his service to others

Harold Petty’s funeral featured speakers from different areas of his life that had no obvious connection to each other aside from having known Petty.

The former Madison County Commissioner died on Friday, July 7, at his home after having battled cancer for nearly three years. His life was celebrated and he was laid to rest on Tuesday, July 11.

Madison County Commission Chairman Gary Deaton, The Calvary Church Pastor Cliff Walker, Sr. , Englewood Baptist Pastor Emeritus Philip Jett, Dr. Garrison Smith and Madison County Veterans’ Services Director Reginald Sims all spoke about Petty at his funeral.

There were a few running themes from their comments.

Petty was a man who loved Jesus Christ. He loved his wife, children and grandchildren. He loved to have a good time. He always had a positive outlook on life no matter what he was facing or dealing with at the time. He always looked for ways to help people and solve their problems. In addition to his work in the Marines, with Cox Oil Company, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, owning a restaurant and serving on the county commission, he also loved riding motorcycles and working on Ford Mustangs.

There were a number of people wearing memorabilia of local motorcycle clubs in the congregation on Tuesday.

But the part about looking for ways to help others was talked about more than most of the others.

“Harold Petty had a lot of friends, and many of you knew him better than I did,” Jett said during his message. “And I’ve known him for many years, but the way I got to know him is when I needed to get in contact with someone in the jail, I’d give a call to Harold and see if I could get in and talk with the person and pray with him or her.

“And Harold had no problem doing that. Why? Because when a person is in jail, they’re suffering. They’re alone. They need someone to reach out. They need prayer, and Harold wanted to connect people in need with that.”

Petty served on the county commission for nine years, winning re-election twice including last year.

But his cancer was found to have returned, and he decided to resign from the Commission in February as he recognized his health was declining.

“Mr. Petty did a lot to help me and our veterans in the years I got to work with him,” Sims said during his discussion. “And there was one time where he needed help, and he didn’t want to take it and I had to nearly force him to take it.

“He was more focused on others and making sure they were taken care of. That’s just the type of man Harold Petty was. I’ll miss you my friend.”

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news