Sheriff remembers assistant chief who passed away Sunday; arrangements set

Roger Wilson

Funeral arrangements are now set for a Knox County Sheriff's Office assistant chief who died over the weekend.

Assistant Chief Roger Wilson passed away Sunday night. He was 55-years-old.

Wilson first started at the sheriff's office in 1992 as a control room clerk and worked his way up. He became assistant chief in 2008.

Sheriff  Jimmy "J.J." Jones says he talked to Wilson everyday and will miss him greatly. He says Wilson can't be replaced.

"He just had such a heart. He was very compassionate. And when you work in corrections and you work around people that sometimes are not pleasant, it's hard to maintain the ability to still care and feel compassion. And he did that always, always," says Sheriff Jones.

Wilson's family will receive friends Wednesday, February 19, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. with the funeral service immediately after at Marbledale Baptist Church. The church is located at 5935 Thorngrove Pike.

The procession will gather at Bridges Funeral Home on Rutledge Pike at noon Thursday. The graveside service will be at 1 p.m. at Highland South Cemetery in South Knoxville.