Oquawka- Sheriff Mark Lumbeck, who is finishing up his 3rd term as Henderson County Sheriff this year, will have come full circle come December.
The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Oquawka- Sheriff Mark Lumbeck, who is finishing up his 3rd term as Henderson County Sheriff this year, will have come full circle come December.
After his official last day as Henderson County Sheriff on November 30th, Lumbeck will be starting new duties across the river in Iowa at the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office in Burlington as a Court Security Officer at the courthouse.
It was 35 years ago when Sheriff Mark Lumbeck, 55, began his career in law enforcement. He began in 1974 at the Des Moines County Sheriff's office as jailer and dispatcher for a year, then he returned in January of 1975 to Oquawka to work under Democratic Henderson County Sheriff Daryl "Pete" Thompson, as a dispatcher/jailer.
From there, he worked his way up through the profession until he became Henderson County Sheriff in 1998.
In November last year, Mark announced that he would not seek re-election because with his retirement eligibility, he said it just didn't make good financial sense for him to continue, no matter how much he loved his job.
While he will be working at the Des Moines County Iowa's Sheriff's office providing security at the Court House in Burlington, IA, Lumbeck will still be in a uniform and packing a gun, but he without the pressures and responsibilities of taking care of law enforcement for a whole county. The job will be interesting every day, but will also be one that he can leave when he heads home.
Lumbeck talks about his career in law enforcement with genuine sincerity for the county and the people he is serving. "It's been interesting, exciting, and always rewarding, and I've always been excited about going to work."
What a nice legacy for a career of thirty five years.
"It's been headaches and phone calls, but I can say I actually loved every minute of my job," he said.
"But, after 35 years, I've maxed out on my pension with the department and can't get any higher. So, it just makes good sense to retire," Lumbeck said. "It will be a nice change, and I'll be working in the county I started in."
He will meet with Sheriff Mike Johnstone and go over his responsibilities after November 30th."
Lumbeck will continue umpiring high school sports.
His wife Debbie works for the Henderson County Health Dept. and their daughter Jenna Dennison will be getting married to Casey Goff of Biggsville in August.
"We are so very proud of her and happy," Mark said. She works at the hospital in Rehab. Casey is an insurance adjuster at Country Financial.
"As for my job, I'm proud to have been able to start from the bottom and work my way to the top. Now, I'm ready to retire. No regrets," he said.
"Sure, I am going to miss it, but I never once didn't want to go to work.
"It was the people in the county that gave me a chance to be sheriff, and I want to thank them. It's been a privilege to serve them. I owe my spot as sheriff to the people for they put their trust in me."