Funeral set for fallen Tennessee sheriff’s deputy who attended Belleville East

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department plans to assist with the funeral of a fallen sheriff’s deputy in Tennessee who was a Belleville East High School graduate.

Davidson County Deputy Joseph Gilmore was driving back to Tennessee on Jan. 1 after visiting family in Fairview Heights for the holidays when his car crashed on Interstate 24, according to the Nashville Tennessean. He died the next morning.

Gilmore’s visitation will be at the Power of Change Christian Church, 2348 Jerome Lane, in Cahokia from 5-7 p.m. Friday, and the funeral will immediately follow. He’ll be buried the next day at the Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Belleville.

His family has requested that any officers available to assist in a procession from the Serenity Funeral Home in Belleville to the cemetery at 10:45 a.m. Saturday join in. They’re trying to find enough officers to do an honor guard at the cemetery, according to a St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department news release. Gilmore’s burial will start at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

For more information, contact Deputy James Hendricks at 618-255-9890.

Gilmore attended Grant Elementary School in Fairview Heights and was a 2010 graduate of Belleville East Township High School, where he played basketball. His coach, Mark Larsen, said Gilmore was quiet and soft-spoken, but had a big heart.

He said Gilmore always wanted to be in law enforcement. He attended and played basketball at Mid-Continent University, a liberal arts Christian college in Mayfield, Kentucky. He was then hired as a probation officer with Davidson County, then joined the sheriff’s department in February.

Sheriff’s department spokesman Mark Preville said Gilmore was “dependable, constantly early, loved by his coworkers and always willing to assist.” Preville said in July, Gilmore would have been moved to the metropolitan police department in Nashville.

“This young man had a bright future in front of him,” he said.

This story was originally published January 9, 2018 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Funeral set for fallen Tennessee sheriff’s deputy who attended Belleville East."