With only four deputies, Lloyd Fulcher made the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department one of the most respected in the state.

The former sheriff passed away Tuesday at his home at the age of 87. Funeral services will be held Saturday at First Baptist Church of Springfield.

Current Effingham Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie knew Fulcher from the time McDuffie first came to Effingham.

“He was a great man,” McDuffie said.

He also noted how Fulcher carried out several homicide investigations on his own, and some of Fulcher’s exploits wound up in the chronicles of “True Detective.”

“I’m sure a lot of times he was out there by himself,” McDuffie said, “which in my mind speaks volumes of the kind of man he was.”

Fulcher served as sheriff for two terms and decided not to seek re-election in 1980. His last official day as sheriff was Dec. 31 of that year.

“My decision not to offer for re-election and retire was not an easy one to make,” Fulcher told the Herald in May 1980. “I feel it’s time to step down and let someone else do the job. In fact, I’m running out of steam.”

Fulcher is survived by his wife, six children, 14 grandchildren and 22 great-children.