Retiring Sheriff Dana Lawhorne Thanked: 30 Days Of Gratitude

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Throughout November, we are inviting readers to share their gratitude for others. In Del Ray, Gayle Todsen Reuter is sharing gratitude for retiring Sheriff Dana Lawhorne.

Lawhorne had announced he will retire at the end of 2021 when his term ends. A lifelong Alexandria resident in the Del Ray neighborhood, Lawhorne became sheriff in 2006 after serving for 27 years as an Alexandria police officer and detective. Capt. Sean Casey, another native Alexandrian, won the sheriff's election to succeed Lawhorne.

Here's the message Reuter shared about Lawhorne:

Del Ray is blessed with 100's of selfless, caring and kind people so this is hard to narrow it to one. But I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to long time Del Ray resident and Alexandria's Sheriff Dana Lawhorne who has dedicated his life for over 43 years to public service. I've been lucky to know him for over 30 years ago and he is one of the most dedicated, caring and compassionate persons I have ever met. There is no way to measure the number of lives he has touched and helped but I hope he knows how much he is appreciated and loved. Thank you Dana Lawhorne for a life of doing good and making a difference in this world.

Patch's "30 Days Of Gratitude" is a series of articles exploring the intentionality of gratitude and featuring bits of wisdom from Patch readers. We invite you to fill out our form below and write a letter of thanks to a person, group or thing that makes life in Del Ray better. We'll publish your letter here on Del Ray Patch as part of our "30 Days Of Gratitude" series.