Villagers Harry and Margo McClary, as well as Don Simson, recall a time when entertainment was held once a week beneath a tent in Spanish Springs Town Square. They also remember a time when alligators and cattle were the major residents south of County Road 466.
Apart from being long-time residents, the three have another thing in common: they are the oldest continuously volunteers at Sumter County Sheriff Bill Farmer’s annex in The Villages.
Margo joined the sheriff’s office in September 1998, while Harry and Simson will both be celebrating 20 years of service in November.
“They’ve given a lot of their energy and heart to the annex and to the people of Sumter County. We serve the people every day, and they are part of it,” Farmer said. “We really appreciate them giving their all and performing a job like that. They’ve really made a difference.”
As supporters, they have assisted in ensuring that deputies are available to respond as needed.
Margo said she was approached by the wife of a deputy who thought the annex needed someone. She said, “We had the building, but nobody was here.”
Patrol deputies came by to check on the volunteers and assist them with their tasks. However, the volunteers were mostly on their own for the first couple of years, according to Margo.
When Farmer moved the agency’s 911 system coordinator to the annex, that shifted.
“We were thrilled to have someone here who could answer at least some of the questions,” Margo said.
Over time, several aspects of the volunteers’ jobs have evolved. They once wrote “thank you” notes to anyone who donated to the annex, for example. That is now handled by Theresa Cooper, the office’s outreach coordinator.
Volunteers are already preparing documentation and pill bottles for the Vial of Life program, which informs first responders of people’s prescriptions in the event they become disabled. They also receive phone calls from the Peace of Mind initiative, which has over 90 Villagers phone the annex every morning to check on their well-being.
The volunteers’ primary responsibility, though, is to act as a sort of triage for deputies, either over the phone or in person.
A caller informed Simson she had a snake in her garage one recent afternoon. He advised her to contact animal control and gave her the phone number.
“I used to tell people who asked ‘What do you do?’ that I’m a director. I find out what people need, and I direct them to this office here or that office there,” Simson, of the Village Santiago, sees his work for the sheriff’s office as a continuation of his time volunteering with the Red Cross in Ohio.
Simson, who grew interested in volunteering after attending Farmer’s citizens’ school, said, “I always felt I needed to do something for community service,”
“I’m helping these guys. That’s part of the satisfaction. It keeps a deputy from having to sit here, and it’s giving back to the community.”
Simson went on to say that he enjoys volunteering at the sheriff’s office.
“I believe in what they do and what Sheriff Farmer does for the community. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t be sitting here,” he said.
The McClarys, of the Village Hacienda, said they’ve remained because they feel they’re assisting farmers and the community.
“Working with the public can be exasperating at times,” Harry, who was encouraged to volunteer by his wife, admitted. ”But you do get a feeling that you are giving back to the community. It’s nice to help people who occasionally have bad problems.” Margo agreed.
“I just like it. I just like coming here,” she said. “There is a lot (in The Villages) to be thankful for, and a lot to give back for.”
According to Lt. Robert Siemer, commander of The Villages area, the sheriff’s office now has roughly 20 volunteers. While the sheriff’s office is always accepting applications, the annex currently has no openings for new volunteers.