08/29/2026
It is with heavy hearts that the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association shares the news of the passing of Sheriff Steve Draper, City of Martinsville, Virginia’s senior sheriff. Sheriff Draper passed away today following a terminal pulmonary illness.
Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.
Please keep Sheriff Draper’s family, friends, colleagues, and the entire City of Martinsville Sheriff’s Office in your thoughts during this difficult time.
# # In Memory of Sheriff Draper
It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office announces the passing of our beloved Sheriff, Sheriff Draper.
Sheriff Draper’s service to Martinsville began in 1973, when he first joined the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office. What began as a career in public service became a lifetime of dedication to this office, this community, and the people he was honored to serve.
In 1993, he ran for the Office of Sheriff and was elected by the citizens of Martinsville. He took office in 1994 and went on to serve as Sheriff for more than three decades, becoming known as the longest-serving Sheriff in the Commonwealth of Virginia. His extraordinary tenure reflected not only his devotion to public service, but also the tremendous trust the citizens of Martinsville placed in him throughout the years.
For more than half a century, Sheriff Draper dedicated his life to this community. He witnessed generations grow, worked alongside generations of employees, and served countless citizens throughout his career. To many, he was the Sheriff they had known for most, if not all, of their lives.
To the men and women of the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office, he was more than our Sheriff. He was a leader, mentor, colleague, and friend. His presence was a constant within this office, and his guidance, character, and commitment helped shape the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office into what it is today.
To the community, he was a devoted public servant who spent his life serving the city he loved. Behind the title and the badge was a man who cared deeply about Martinsville and its people. The relationships he built and the lives he touched over more than five decades of service are an enduring part of the legacy he leaves behind.
There are few words that can adequately express the loss felt by his family, our staff, his friends, and the community he served for so many years. While we mourn his passing, we are also grateful for the remarkable life of service he gave to Martinsville.
His absence will be deeply felt, but his influence will remain—in the halls of the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office, in those who had the privilege of serving alongside him, and throughout the community to which he devoted so much of his life.
Once arrangements have been finalized, additional information will be shared with our staff and the community.
During this incredibly difficult time, we ask that you keep Sheriff Draper’s family, friends, the men and women of the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office, and all those whose lives he touched in your thoughts and prayers.
**After more than five decades of service, Sheriff Draper leaves behind a legacy that will forever be woven into the history of the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office and the community he so faithfully served.**
**His watch may have ended, but his legacy of service will never be forgotten.**
