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Longtime Oak Hill firefighter and law enforcement officer Rex “Sput” Powell was laid to rest at El Bethel Baptist Church, escorted by a procession of law enforcement officers, fire engines, family and friends, including his motorcycle club, Blue Knights MC XXIII.

Powell died in a car wreck on May 1. He was 67.

Friends said Powell was always willing to help anyone.

“There was absolutely nothing that he wouldn’t do to help other people any time of the day or night, any problem they had,” said William Brown, a retired assistant fire chief for Oak Hill. “You could call on him and Sput would always be there.”

Brown said Powell worked at Oak Hill for more than 40 years, serving as assistant chief for some time. He was a founding member of the Burke County Search and Rescue team in the 1980s. He previously worked as a deputy and detective for the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, and as chief of Broughton Police Department.

Even after retirement, Powell worked part-time as a school resource officer for Burke County’s elementary schools.

Sheriff Banks Hinceman said when he joined Oak Hill before his law enforcement career, Powell was one of the firefighters who would take the new guys under his wing and show them the ropes.

“He was always engaged in helping you get to where you needed to be, a good teacher, a good person and example to follow,” Hinceman said.

Aaron Johnson, assistant chief at Oak Hill Fire Rescue, said Powell took a break from firefighting for a few years but ended up coming back in his late 50s.

“(He was) probably outdoing most of the people there that were in their 20s, and never complained about it,” Johnson said. “He was definitely a role model, but not only that, just a good mentor to everybody. … If there was a call or something went bad and you didn’t see Sput on it, you were concerned because he was there, he did everything.

“It didn’t matter what he was doing, he would drop what he was doing to go help, go answer the call and then go right back to it and never complain about it whatsoever. It didn’t matter the time of day, night or whatever. That’s just the kind of servant that he was.”

Hinceman said the way Powell lived his life showed his dedication to helping others — from international missions in Haiti to his local volunteerism.

“He was very focused and intentional and mission driven to whatever he was doing,” Hinceman said. “Just to be the best that he could be, whether as a plumber, first responder, firefighter, deputy sheriff, he was just one of those people that everybody looked to as far as their work ethic and just giving 150%. That’s Sput Powell.”