Martinsville Sheriff Stephen “Steve” Madison Draper, who served as the city’s sheriff for more than three decades, died Saturday, Aug. 29, following a terminal pulmonary illness. He was 73.
Draper’s celebration of life was scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 2.
In lieu of flowers, Draper’s family requested that memorials be made to the Martinsville City Sheriff’s Department Benevolent Fund, P.O. Box 1326, Martinsville, VA 24112.
Draper began working with the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office in 1973 and was elected sheriff in 1993.
Having served as sheriff for more than three decades, Draper was the longest-serving sheriff in Virginia history.
Draper previously served as president of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association and had been a member of Martinsville City Council.
Martinsville City Manager Rob Fincher said Draper was a great friend and an outstanding leader who always had advice and encouragement to offer.
“Steve was elected sheriff and assumed office in 1994 and I also began my law enforcement career in 1994, so we had that connection. Although he had many years of service before then, it was just kind of a thing that he’s always been there to offer assistance and work with,” said Fincher, who formerly served as the city’s police chief.
Fincher said the working relationship between the Martinsville Police Department and Sheriff’s Office was unmatched under Draper.
“He was just an outstanding leader and an outstanding person, and I’m truly going to miss him. He was a good friend, we had a lot of fun together, and I’m going to miss those times,” he said.
Fincher said some of the most fun he and Draper had together involved their work with law enforcement motorcycles.
“Where I was a motor officer and he had motorcycles, we would ride together doing different events, like the race or an escort. Those were always a lot of fun, we really enjoyed doing it,” he said.
One memory Fincher has of Draper was an uprising at the Martinsville City Jail.
“He was able to negotiate that, and I was there to try and assist him. He had called for help from the police department, and we came in, and he pretty much handled everything and didn’t require people going in by force and stuff like you see so much. He was able to talk everyone into compliance. I remember looking up to him at that point and thinking, ‘Wow, this guy’s got some really good people skills. He’s definitely in the right job, and he deserves to be sheriff,’” Fincher said.
Because Draper was so well loved, Fincher said his death is difficult for many people.
“His legacy will last forever,” he said.
Fincher said Michael Law, who was sworn in as interim sheriff Aug. 31, was Draper’s choice of successor “because he knew that this was approaching.”
“We look forward to working with Sheriff Law. I know that he’s going to do his best to uphold the good work that Sheriff Draper did,” he said.
In an interview with WDBJ7, Martinsville Police Chief Chad Rhoads said Draper was a mentor and friend to many city residents.
“He took me under his wing, he introduced me to a lot of people I know, and he just wanted people to feel comfortable around the community members. He’s just one of those guys that everybody loves, even the inmates love the sheriff,” Rhoads said.
Former council member Gene Teague said he first met Draper in 1994, when Teague was elected to fill Draper’s seat on City Council following Draper’s election as sheriff.
“I picked up the phone and called him and started talking to him about what I needed to do. I was a newly elected city council member and I just wanted to talk to him about how to get up to speed, so we developed a friendship starting from there,” he said.
During his 21 years on City Council, Teague said he developed a close working relationship with Draper.
“More importantly he was a friend because we started working together with the 500 Committee, he got me on the 500 Committee with the Martinsville Speedway, so we became good friends, got to spend a lot of time at the speedway together and have a lot of conversations,” Teague said.
As sheriff, Teague said Draper did many things to take the office beyond his traditional duties.
“He really focused on how could he make the lives of the citizens better and do a better job for the city. He started the prison farm, got that going back up, and for many years, used that as a method to not only house prisoners, but to grow food and provide an incremental space,” he said.
Teague said Draper also led the department through construction of the jail’s annex, which allowed more inmates to be housed, and started the city’s inmate work crew.
“Over the decades it’s been in existence, it has provided probably millions of dollars of benefit to the city, and plus giving an opportunity to the prisoners to get out and do some work. That expanded into Henry County and he was running that in the county at some point,” he said.
Teague said Draper’s love for Martinsville was unmatched.
“He cared deeply about all aspects of the city. Every council member that’s probably served at some point has had conversations with Steve not only about the sheriff’s office, but about the city. Steve always went out of his way to engage council members and make sure they were up to speed. He was an outstanding sheriff, but a better person. He’s going to be missed, and he’s going to be hard to replace,” Teague said.
Martinsville Mayor LC Jones said Draper was the sheriff of the people.
“He was someone who was out in the community, especially during the hardest times it was to be a sheriff. He spoke with the people, and it showed in how he did his job. He wasn’t afraid to knock on a door and talk to people,” Jones said.
Jones said Draper would go to local schools to eat lunch with children and remember their names.
“He actually knew my son before we met, and he remembered his name. It was so amazing how deep he was in the community,” Jones said.
Having known Draper since she was 13 years old, Martinsville Vice Mayor Kathy Lawson said she lost a lifelong friend.
“Not only have we lost a dedicated public servant, we’ve lost a good friend,” she said.
Lawson said Draper transitioned the Sheriff’s Office from a run-of-the-mill office that primarily oversaw the jail and served warrants into an organization focused on community enrichment.
“He implemented many different programs that were unique to the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office like our firewood program that was started probably over a decade ago that provides firewood to our citizens in need. I can’t think of another Sheriff’s Office in the Commonwealth that does programs like that,” she said.
In a social media post Saturday, Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis wrote that “Steve was the most senior sheriff in Virginia and a true servant to the people of Martinsville. His dedication to his community and to the Office of Sheriff was unwavering.
“More than a colleague, Steve was a mentor to many of us. His wisdom, leadership, and friendship left a lasting mark on those fortunate enough to know and serve alongside him. The City of Martinsville was truly blessed by his years of faithful service,” he wrote.
Davis added that Draper “was such a positive guy. I don’t know that everyone knew that side of him, but he really was a good guy to be around.”
Standardize to the correct official name throughout non-quoted text., Davis said “his impact on public safety was felt way beyond Martinsville. There’s not a sheriff in the state that didn’t know Sheriff Draper.”
Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith said Draper “was a good friend. I’m going to miss him.”
Smith added that Draper’s office “has always been very supportive of our office.”
Draper also was known for his support of community events, including the Jennifer Short Memorial Scholarship Ride.
Organizer Ray Reynolds said his support was steadfast, and went on for 20 years. “We were successful because of Steve. It would not have continued without Steve’s help.”
Draper “was not only a great friend of mine, but I confided in him when I needed advice or help,” Reynolds said.
“I’ll miss him.”
