Tyrone Police Chief Roger Spencer,

who died unexpectedly Monday at the age of 56, is being remembered by

friends and colleagues as a solid lawman who was easy to get along with

because of his unique sense of humor.

Spencer, who has been with

the town since 1982, was "an excellent police chief," said Town

Manager Barry Amos.

"He was very community-oriented

and citizen-oriented and he was very proud of his many accomplishments

with the department," Amos said. "He will be sorely missed.

Those are going to be some big shoes to fill."

Assistant Police Chief Van

Brock is currently running the day-to-day operations at the department

but the mayor and council will select a new police chief at a later date,

Amos said.

Spencer died at Fayette Community

Hospital after being admitted for heart-related problems, published reports

said.

Spencer was hired in 1982 by

then-chief Bill McKenzie as one of two patrol officers. McKenzie said

he always looked up to Spencer, who had a little more big-city police

experience under his belt, first with the Atlanta Police Department and

then the Fulton County Police Department.

Spencer "just fit right

in" when he came to Tyrone from working in Fulton County," McKenzie

said.

When McKenzie left Tyrone to

become chief deputy in Coweta County three years after hiring Spencer,

he was the one who recommended Spencer be named the town's new chief,

a position he has held ever since.

"In fact, he was probably

more capable than I was" to serve as Tyrone's chief, McKenzie said.

"... I can say without a doubt Roger was one of the finest police

officers I know, if not the finest."

McKenzie and Spencer were also

next-door neighbors and they watched their children grow up together,

McKenzie remembered.

"Roger really loved his

family," McKenzie said.

Ben Thomas, who worked under

Spencer in Tyrone before becoming assistant police chief in Hapeville,

said Spencer was an "exemplary" police officer.

"You always knew where

you stood" with Spencer, said Thomas, who called Spencer his best

friend. "He was a comedian, but he was a very fair person. He treated

you with decency and respect."

One of Spencer's traits was

his legendary sense of humor, said Fayette County Sheriff Randall Johnson.

"He always had something

funny going on" and would "keep everybody awake at meetings,"

Johnson said.

Spencer had a way of trading

humorous barbs at his friends and colleagues, and he could dish it out

pretty fast, Johnson recalled.

"I don't care what you

had on Roger, he'd always come back at you with something good,"

Johnson said. "He was always the life of a crowd.

"He's just a good guy

and a great friend."

Thomas agreed that Spencer's

sense of humor endeared him to many.

"Even if you were mad

at him, it wouldn't be for more than a hot minute because you'd be laughing

again," Thomas said.

"If someone didn't like

Roger, they didn't know him."

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