Gary McElhenney, Putnam County commissioner and former county coroner, is pictured in this  photo from last fall at the unveiling of The Gary McElhenney Coroner’s Office in Eatonton. McElhenney died Sunday in Athens.

EATONTON, Ga. — Gary McElhenney loved life as a public servant. He considered it a calling.

It was something McElhenney did up until he died Sunday in Athens while surrounded by family members.

He was 77.

Condolences from government officials and friends from across Georgia have been pouring in since the news of his death.

Just last month, McElhenney completed his first four-year term as the District 1 commissioner in Putnam County. It’s a county he loved with all of his heart.

“I wouldn’t want to serve in public office anywhere else other than Putnam County,” McElhenney said in an interview last year. “I love this county and its people. The people are what makes this county so special.”

He was a man who enjoyed giving of himself, but more than that, giving to others to make the community a better place to live and work.

“That’s why I actually ran for commissioner,” McElhenney said.

He won election to a second four-year term as a county commissioner May 21, running without opposition.

Before being elected to the Putnam County Board of Commissioners, McElhenney served the community in other important roles

He served as an EMT in Putnam County for several years. He later was named as a battalion chief with the Putnam County Fire Rescue Department.

In 1976 and in 1980, McElhenney ran for the office of coroner, but lost both times.

He never quit, though.

Four years later, he once again ran for coroner and that time around was elected by voters.

“I can’t tell you how many times I came home in the middle of the night from a call and I’d go in my kids’ room and touch them, hold them if I could, kiss them, and thank the Lord they were there,” McElhenney recalled. “It’s a tough job. It really is a tough job.”

He served as coroner from 1984 through Nov. 1, 2019.

For 22 years, while serving as county coroner, McElhenney served as treasurer of the Georgia Coroner’s Association. He also served as president of the state association of coroners from 1991 until 1992. During his career as coroner, he was twice named Georgia Coroner of the Year.

In 2019, McElhenney was chosen as the Eatonton-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.

When a new county fire department and a new coroner’s office held separate ribbon-cutting ceremonies last year near the county government complex, McElhenney received one of the biggest surprises of his life.

The new coroner’s office was named in his honor. He served longer than anyone else has ever served in that position in Putnam County history.

Today, it’s called The Gary McElhenney Coroner’s Office.

During that special ceremony, McElhenney said he didn’t know what to say about the honor.

“This is overwhelming, folks,” he said. “It really is. I don’t know what to say. What an honor; what an honor. In my wildest dreams, I never thought anything like this would happen. I am so proud of this coroner’s office.”