Mark Kimsey Was The Real Deal And Larger Than Life

  • Saturday, August 1, 2020
Mark Kimsey with daughter Julia
Mark Kimsey with daughter Julia
Rest In Peace to one of the most honorable, intelligent and entertaining human beings I have ever met in my entire life.  Mark Kimsey, you were an eloquent and extremely talented writer and the epitome of what an American Law Enforcement Officer should be - courageous, scholarly, empathetic, proficient and selfless.  

Words can not begin to express how much you are respected and how immensely you are already missed.  

You were a true and sought after genius in your field as an accident investigator.  You were also a dedicated family man who loved his kids with all his heart.  You have been a father figure, mentor and big brother to many non-relatives who were your peers, colleagues and friends.  You represented the soul of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
  

To describe you to those who never met or spoke to you I would say you were a cross between Clint Eastwood in “Heartbreak Ridge”, Bruce Willis in “Die Hard”,  and Maverick in “Top Gun” but you weren’t a Hollywood action star playing a fictitious American hero on the silver screen. You were the real deal and larger than life.  You helped save lives and make the world a better place for 38 years that you wore the badge.  

You would literally give a stranger the shirt off your back and were the first person to donate money to worthy causes such as Christmas toys for children living in poverty.  You constantly looked out for the dependents of fallen officers and graciously took them under your wing.   You also supported fundraisers for injured combat veterans and their families and never expected a pat on the back for it.  

The motorcycle and undercover cop stories from you were amazing as was your friendly feud with the Fire Department who put rocks in your hub caps to push your buttons and invoke an epic FXM rant.  

You constantly sought out knowledge and self improvement despite nearly four decades in your profession.  You were an ardent reader who always recommended fascinating books you that you felt would benefit others to learn from.  

You always spoke your mind without fear but were humble.  You knew when to stand up and be heard and when to sit down and listen; your humility was rare and inspiring.  You tried to understand differing perspectives and appreciate them and had the highest ethical standards. 

It’s commonly assumed that people are romanticized in death and their accomplishments are embellished and characteristics sugar coated with glowing hyperbole.  However, with you this isn’t the case.  What is written about you is severely understated.  The positive impact you have made on anyone who has known you cannot be done justice with words, everyone who knew you can relate.  Trying to sum up your life in a few paragraphs is like trying to capture lightning in a jar, it’s impossible. 

You brought out the best in others.  When a person passes on to Valhalla, people sometimes won’t remember what you said or even did but they will forever remember the way you made them
feel, which was happy.  

I know people smiled and laughed a lot because of your unbridled personality, rebellious spirit and unconditional love and loyalty.  

You were a man who would always practice what you preached.  

“Do what you say and say what you mean” 

Thank You 

Andrew McLaren
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