LAKELAND — A Lanier County Sheriff’s Office deputy died over the weekend in an automobile wreck, the county sheriff said.

Kyle Lightsey 36, died in a single-vehicle accident, Lanier County Sheriff Nick Norton said.

“Lanier County, Lakeland, the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office, friends, family and loved ones lost a true friend and deputy,” Norton said. “The void cannot be filled; the friend cannot be replaced.”

He was a deputy certified as a K-9 and drug interdiction officer, as well as as a veteran of the Marine Corps with the rank of sergeant, according to his obituary from Lovein Funeral Home. He served in Iraq where he was awarded the Purple Heart. He was a member of AMVETS, the Purple Heart Association and Combat Veteran’s Motorcycle Association.

He is survived by a son and daughter, his parents, two sisters, a brother and the mother of his children.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 30, in the chapel of Lovein Funeral Home in Nashville with the Rev. R.T. Castleberry and the Rev. Stan Stalvey officiating. Interment with military honors will follow in the Nashville Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at Lovein Funeral Home in Nashville.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.