On January 21st, Larry Ophus retired from his job as the Undersheriff for Chouteau County after 41 years of service in Law Enforcement. "41 years, 7 months, and 15 days," clarified Verla, Larry's wife. His retirement party will be at the Jerry Martin Memorial Hall on February 19th at 1:00 PM.
Larry's legacy of serving our community has often been an unsung one, as Verla pointed out: "He's done a lot for the community, very quietly. To tell the truth. He doesn't take much credit... I'm proud of him." Larry was quick to point out that he didn't do the job for recognition. Rather, he did it to help people. "I didn't do it for the glory. I did it just to help the people. It's something that needed to be done, and I didn't mind doing what needed to be done. So I did it."
"I like the fact that... I'd rather help somebody than do anything else. I wasn't a big ticket writer. I wasn't a big arrest maker. I like the fact that I was around to help people do what they needed to do," Larry explained. Verla was quick to point out that his efforts to help people over the years has resulted in frequent thanks for people they encounter in the community: "He's got a lot of people who come up to him and say, 'Thank you. I am so glad you helped me back when...'Though he usually doesn't remember them, at some point he did something to help out. "Gave them a ride some place. Helped them with a vehicle. He's got a lot of people who respect him."
"I started in Big Sandy. When I started, I was supposed to be be temporary, part time. Back then Paul Williams was the Sheriff. We had one resident deputy in Big Sandy. The city hired a police officer to fill in when he went on vacation and stuff like that. So I did that." Larry enjoyed the change of pace from working in the shop or on the farm. His wife mentioned that he would often say how much he liked being able to dress up and be clean at work, which was just not possible working on the farm.
"In '85, the city quit having their own police force. The county took it over completely. So I changed from blue to brown in '85. I did pretty much the same thing. Then in 1994, I went to the academy. Paul was still sheriff, I think, but Doug Williams told me if I decided I wanted to go to the academy, just let him know and he would send me. I think it was about fair time in '93, I told him go ahead and send me. They got me there about January of '94. I finished that up in April of '94. In '96, I went full time with the county. (He has been full time with the county ever since)"
"In about '99 or 2000, the sheriff took over the coroner job. It used to be a coroner and a sheriff. Then, they went to the commissioners and they made it a sheriff/coroner office. The sheriff was both. The deputies had the option of becoming coroners or not, and I chose to do that. I was a coroner from around 99 until I retired." During the last 6 years of his career, Larry served as the undersheriff for the county.
When asked about how the community has changed over the 4 decades, Larry said: "We used to have 5 bars and 3 churches. Now we have 3 bars and 5 churches. Back when I started, it was a little more western. Longer nights. Anymore, you can roll the streets up around 10:30 or 11:00 most nights. Back then, you were lucky if you could close them at 2:30. They'd kick them out of the bar at 2, and they'd sit on main street for another half hour or hour. Most of the time, they were pretty good, but sometimes you'd have to nudge them a bit to get them to go home because they were getting a little carried away."
Going into retirement, Larry explained that he will miss the dispatchers in particular. "I enjoy visiting with them. Having them call me at all hours of the night. I'm used to that... When I was in Big Sandy, I didn't go to Fort Benton much. So I never saw them much or had much to do with them. Now that I am down there, I see them more. Dispatchers- I've always had a working relationship with them. Dispatchers are truly our lifeline when we're out there." He still maintains his interaction with them through his role as Fire Chief for the Big Sandy Volunteer Fire Department.
His relationship with the dispatchers started early and very close to home, when the police office number rang at his house and his wife served as one of the dispatchers, with her own number. "When I started, Paul Williams still lived here. He and his wife Bev were still here. We actually put the police phone in our house. That was before 911 and everything. They'd call the number, it was down at the station downtown. It was run into our house and also over to Paul and Bev's. She (his wife) did a lot of answering the phones." Verla added: "Bev was wanting to slow down, and she thought I could handle it. I used to have a number and everything. Paul gave me a number. Back then, they didn't have 911, and they didn't have the radio system they now have. Didn't have cell phones"
While discussing Larry's service, Verla pointed out a particularly poignant example of Larry's service and concern for the people of our community. "When we are going from here to Fort Benton or here to Box Elder and we are traveling along, it amazes me that every cross along the road, he's been at. He can tell you who it was." This is especially notable in light of Larry's repeated acknowledgement that he is bad at remembering names. He explained: " It sticks with me. Not the bad side of it. Just a remembrance of them."
The decision to retire came simply, because: "I just thought it was time. I have been there long enough. It's time for somebody else to look things over and do whatever. I want to do other things. I want to be free to go where I want to go and stuff like that."
Despite retiring, Larry hasn't slowed down much. He is still serving as fire chief and installing equipment in the county police vehicles. He custom installs the consoles and equipment for all of our local sheriffs' department trucks. He will also continue working his father's 1200 acre farm. He is looking forward to traveling in the coming years.
