Dunn County, Wisconsin — Candles were lit in the Dunn County Judicial Center parking lot on Wednesday to commemorate the service of a deceased officer.
Jeffrey Reynolds was on his way to work Christmas Eve morning when a suspected drunk driver ran a stop sign, killing him.
“Jeff had no choice. He had no say in how his life turned out, which is heartbreaking,” said Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd.
Approximately 100 people attended the New Year’s Day vigil. Ralph Becker was one of them.
“I just want to show my respect and honor for his service,” Becker told reporters.
Nathan Roesler and his wife wanted to do the same.
“This just hit our heartstrings,” he said. “I think, for me, it’s important to show sympathy and support for the family during this time of loss.”
Reynolds was a Dunn County corrections officer. He’s held the title for 17 years.
“It takes a saint to make a career out of working in corrections and coming to work every day with a positive attitude and being a professional about it,” Bygd told me.
Bygd described Jeffrey, also known as Jeff, as a quiet man.
“He came to work every day with a positive attitude, you know you could just count on him,” he told me.
Bygd described himself as a quiet guy with a knack for making people laugh.
“His sense of humor was always on point. “He was witty,” Bygd explained. “He was appropriately timely with his humor with the inmates, and I believe that is why they loved him. He was serious when necessary, professional, but also human with them.”
He stated that Reynolds was the inmate’s favorite CO.
“When we released the news of his passing on our Facebook page the comments from former inmates were overwhelming, incredibly supportive and positive,” he told me.
Reading those messages filled him with pride.
“Inmates adored him. “He treated everyone with the dignity and respect they deserved,” Bygd stated.
According to one of Reynolds’ supervisors, inmates would approach him and apologize. He said he’d always remember him for his sense of humor.
“Jeff was a man of few words but those words that he said were perfectly timed and packed a punch,” according to his manager.” “As a supervisor, I don’t have anything negative to say. He never complained, no matter what it was.
Many people in attendance are struggling to make sense of what happened on Christmas Eve morning. Now the community has a hole in their town.
“He’s going to be a very difficult guy to replace,” Bygd told me.
According to Bygd, nearly every sheriff in Wisconsin has contacted him to express their condolences and offer assistance in any way they can as his department grieves.
The vigil on Wednesday night marked the beginning of the grieving process.
“I think this is kind of a stepping stone in the grieving process of being able to gather together and coming together with the purpose of moving forward through our grief and doing it together,” he told me.
Reynolds’ services will be held on Friday in Eau Claire.