Gene Rea Lord

Gene R. Lord, 71 of Lakeland, went into the loving arms of his heavenly Father on June 20th, 2022 at Lakeland Regional Health.

Gene was born in Lakeland, Florida on August 4th, 1950 to Betty and Gordon Lord at Morrell Memorial Hospital.

Gene was a lifelong resident of Lakeland, attended Lakeland High School and was hired by the Polk County Sheriff's Office shortly after his 21st birthday in 1971, which would begin nearly five decades of service to Polk County.

Along with working at the Sheriff's Office, Gene worked for Imperial ambulance and Herndon ambulance in the 1970s. He also began his passion for teaching in 1976 as an instructor at the law enforcement minimum standards academy at Polk Community College.

Gene's career at the Sheriff's Office included an array of assignments including dispatch, crime scene, traffic, special investigations, uniform patrol, crime prevention, hostage negotiations, training and judicial process.

Gene retired from the Sheriff's Office in 2006 on a Friday and started back to work that following Monday at the Lakeland Police Department, where he helped victims of domestic abuse. Gene served 11yrs with LPD and retired in 2017.

Gene loved auto racing and was a fan of the late Dale Earnhardt. He also enjoyed traveling and spending time with his family.

Gene is preceeded in death by his mother and father, along with his step father, John Berry. Gene is survived by his wife of 50 years, Susan, son Marshall, sister Sandy Lind (Will) of North Carolina and two grandchildren that he loved and cherished, Amanda and Matthew Lord.

Gene was given the gift of being a "people person" and had a great sense of humor. He devoted his life to helping others and worked hard to provide for his family. He will be missed deeply by his loving family and friends.

Visitation will be Thursday, June 23rd, 2022 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm and services will be on Friday, June 24th, 2022 at 10am.

Lakeland Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 2125 Bartow Road, Lakeland, Florida.

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