“You’re walking this street safely because of my dad.” Remembering Herb Cooley

WYTHE COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - A man who dedicated his life to serving our hometowns as a leader in law enforcement has passed away.

In a 45-plus year career in law enforcement, Herb Cooley proudly wore several badges as the protector of people around our hometowns.

But to Zach Cooley, he was a father.

“Here we are at Disney World. He said those were the happiest times of his life when he took us to Disney, and I would say those were the happiest of mine as well,” said Cooley, looking at an old photo.

Herb began with the United States Coast Guard in the early 1960’s and went on to become a police officer at High Point Police Department.

In 1974, he returned to his roots in Southwest Virginia with the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office as deputy sheriff, but Cooley said his father went above