A reception was held last night to honor one of Morgan County’s longest tenured public servants. Retired Coroner Jeff Lair was honored by the City of Jacksonville and the county with a small celebration for his retirement. Lair stepped down on September 30th after 34 years of service to the community.
During Lair’s time in office, he helped to bring the office into the current century by helping found Morgan County Underwater Search and Rescue Dive Team and bringing policies up to standard. Lair reflected on his time in office as always trying to do right by the office, learning from experts in the field, and always trying to best serve the community.
Lair says that the office is more than just identifying a body at a crime scene or in a residential death. He said that talking tactfully and openly with the family of the deceased and properly gathering all the information to make determinations in cases are vitally important to any coroner.
Lair’s Chief Deputy, Marcy Patterson, was nominated to fill out the remainder of his term, which expires in November 2020. A Jacksonville native, Lair was Chief Deputy when he was first elected coroner in 1984. He previously served as coroner in Scott County from 1974 to 1975 as well as a sheriff’s deputy. Lair has owned Lair Death Investigations as owner since 1996. Lair stepped down last month due to several health concerns.