Sevier County Sheriff Phil H. Barney dies from cancer

RICHFIELD — Longtime Sevier County Sheriff Phil H. Barney died Thursday morning at his home following a battle with cancer.

"The Sevier County Sheriff's Office gives its deepest condolences to his wife and family," the sheriff's office said in a prepared statement.

Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.

The news came as the Utah Sheriff's Association, of which Barney was a member and former president, was meeting in Kanab. The state's other sheriffs were in a meeting when they received word of their colleague's passing.

"You can never find a better human being than him. We were just crushed and at a loss of words," said Tooele County Sheriff Frank Park, the current president of the association. "He's been a favorite of mine for a long time — someone I looked up to and admired. Our families are fairly close. It was taken pretty tough by a lot of the sheriffs here."

Park said Barney had been in law enforcement for more than four decades.

After former Sevier County Sheriff John Meacham chose not to run for election again, Barney ran unopposed to become sheriff in 1998. He had worked with the office for several years before being elected sheriff and before that with the Utah Highway Patrol.

While with the UHP, Barney was known for making drug busts, Park said.

"He set the standard for drug interdiction down there before it was even a buzz word," he said. "He was a well-respected law enforcement individual in this state."

Park said many people were aware of Barney's health problems.

In 2007, he had a heart attack and collapsed during an office party. He most recently had been battling lung cancer.

"We knew he had problems. We knew it was coming. We're still just devastated," Park said.

"I'm really going to miss him," added Sanpete County Sheriff Kevin Holman. "He was a great sheriff and a great man. He really did a lot to help the state of Utah."

When asked if there were any special moments he remembered about Barney, Holman said, "There's so many, it's hard to even narrow one down."

Richfield Mayor Brad Ramsay concurred that he would also miss Barney.

"He's always been very responsive to our needs as a city. He served our county well," he said. "We're just going to miss him. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family."

Barney is survived by his wife and two daughters.

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