Huntley remembered with fondness
Staff writer
Former undersheriff David Huntley, who spent 14 of his 40 years in law enforcement with the sheriff’s office, died Aug. 30. Services were Saturday.
Huntley, who was 66, is remembered fondly by colleagues.
“He was one of the funniest individuals I have ever met,” Marion police chief Clinton Jeffrey said. “You could never tell when he was pulling your leg. He also loved telling stories about playing softball and how he played with a former president. I can’t remember if it was Carter or Ford. He may have been making it up all along. You just never knew with Dave.”
Huntley retired July 1, 2021, after serving as deputy, undersheriff, and Florence police chief. He also worked as a Harvey County deputy for 22 years.
He said when he retired that his most memorable experience in law enforcement was April 9, 2005, when fellow Harvey County deputy Kurt Ford was shot to death during a forced entry at a hostage situation.
Huntley, a Florence native, planned to spend his retirement doing more things on his farm, where he raised brome hay, cattle, horses, and goats.
Before his first stint at the sheriff’s office, he was chief of police in Florence. Then he joined the sheriff’s office from February 1985 to April 1987 and again from January 2009 until his retirement in June 2021.
He spent 21 years as a Harvey County deputy.
Deputy and retired Hillsboro police chief Dan Kinning worked part-time for the sheriff’s office, then worked full-time starting in 1985, the same year Huntley was hired as undersheriff.
“We were sworn in the same day at the sheriff’s office,” Kinning said. “When he moved on to Harvey County, I was appointed undersheriff at that time.
“He was a good supervisor to work for. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him,” Kinning said.
Huntley’s nephew, Sergeant Brandon Huntley with Harvey County sheriff’s office, said his uncle “was the epitome of what we all expect of a law enforcement officer.”
David Huntley was a huge influence in his nephew’s life and career choice.
“The best way to describe it is, from a little boy to a grown man, he was my hero,” Brandon Huntley said. “Getting to work with him in the sheriff’s office is something I’ll never forget.”
A memorial has been established with the Marion County sheriff’s office canine unit.