The Nolan County Sheriff's Office mourns the death of former Sheriff Donnie Rannefeld. Donnie Rannefeld, age 80, passed away peacefully at his home in Abilene on Saturday, December 9th, 2023.

Rannefeld served as Nolan County Sheriff for three terms from 1997 until 2009. Prior to becoming Sheriff, Rannefeld had a full career with the Texas Department of Public Safety as a Trooper for over 26 years. Rannefeld even came back out of retirement from being Sheriff and served another 3½ years as a Deputy for the NCSO doing prisoner transports. Altogether Rannefeld had 45 years of full-time service as a dedicated Texas Peace Officer.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Nita and the entire Rannefeld family. Donnie Rannefeld leaves behind a legacy of public service and many close friends in law enforcement. He will be dearly missed. Funeral services for Donnie Rannefeld will be at 2:00 PM, Friday, December 15th, at First Baptist Church, 213 E 3rd St, Sweetwater, TX 79556 with burial afterwards at Roscoe Cemetery, 2376 County Road 104, Roscoe, TX 79545 under the direction of McCoy Funeral Home in Sweetwater.

Sheriff David Warren

The Nolan County Sheriff's Office mourns the loss of Communications Officer, Raye Ellen Jordan. Ms. Raye Ellen Jordan, 56 of Loraine,TX died on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at Goodlife Senior Living Center in Snyder.
A Celebration of Her Life Service for Ms. Jordan will be held on April 23, 2022 from 12 PM to 2:30 PM at LuKacy's Event Center, 10275 TX-208, Hermleigh, TX 79526.

Ellen was born on Tuesday, September 14, 1965, in Kingman, AZ to Ray Everett and Lela Ellen (Tyson) Jordan. She was raised in Anton, TX. She loved being a part of the marching band in high school. In 1983, she married Cary Hall. In December of that year, they would become parents to twin girls: Hannah and Heather. Their third daughter, Whitney, was born in August of 1986.

Ellen was known to many as Mom. When the grandkids were old enough to talk, they called her Mom and it always brightened her day. She was a dispatcher for 14 years. She started her career in Snyder at the Scurry County Sheriff's Office. She earned her Master's in dispatching and then went to work at the Nolan County Sheriff's Office. Dispatching was her passion, and she considered her co-workers to be her family. A few words to describe Mom would be Strong, Independent, and Stubborn. She loved hard and always had a smile on her face. Hugs were a must and you always had to be sure to "Let her know when you make it."

She is survived by:

3 Daughters
Heather Jensen and Husband Charlie, Ransom Canyon, TX
Hannah Counts and husband Mike, Hermleigh, TX
Whitney Hall and Daniel Frazier, Lueders, TX

9 Grandchildren
Kirby Jensen, Ransom Canyon, TX
Korbin Jensen, Ransom Canyon, TX
Brody Counts, Hermleigh, TX
Brantley Counts, Hermleigh, TX
Cyan Delao, Lueders, TX
Skyler Reston, Lueders, TX
Paiton Frazier, Lueders, TX
Marleigh Frazier, Lueders, TX
Ivan Frazier, Lueders, TX

Ex-Husband
Cary Hall, Winnsboro, TX

1 Sister
Mary Hernandez and husband James, Richmond, TX

2 Brothers
Randall Carr and wife Kathy, Katy, TX
Ray Edward (Ed) Jordan, Houston, TX

1 Sister-in-Law and Brother-in-Law
Beatrice and Tim Belcher, Weslaco, TX

She was preceded in death by:

Parents
Ray and Lela Jordan

1 Brother
Rodney Carr

Father-in-Law
Billy Jack Hall

It is with great sorrow that we announce the loss of one of our best. County Jailer Annell Hill died shortly after noon on Tuesday, December 27, 2016, after a very hard fought and courageous battle with cancer.

Annell Hill was a dedicated and loyal employee of the Nolan County Sheriff's Office for 16 ½ years. She was fair, firm and diligent. Annell was respected equally by the prisoners she had charge over as well as her co-workers and supervisors. She will be sorely missed.

The members of the Nolan County Sheriff's Office were proud to be her "second family." Our hearts and prayers go out to her real family and we sincerely thank you for sharing Annell with us for all those years as we are all better for it.

Funeral services for Annell Hill will be on Tuesday afternoon, January 3rd, at 2:00PM in the sanctuary at Broadway Baptist Church in Sweetwater located at 710 E. 3rd Street. Please join us in saying goodbye to a fine woman and exceptional Jailer.

Sheriff David Warren

Joe C. Slater went to be with his Lord and Savior on Monday, May 3, 2010. He was 88. Born in Sweetwater on November 21, 1921, his parents were Melvin C. and Mamie Lee (Hollowell) Slater. He graduated from Sweetwater Newman High School in 1939, and attended Texas Tech University from 1939 to 1942 and after the war, from 1945-1947, receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree.

In 1941, having enough college credits, he was accepted into the U.S. Army Air Corps as a flying cadet and commissioned a second lieutenant pilot in October 1942, he flew and trained four engine bomber crews. He transferred to the reserves as a Major in July 1946, and was later discharged from the reserves in 1956. Upon his graduation from Texas Tech in 1947, he was employed in sales and marketing with U.S. Gypsum Company of Dallas.

He met and married Irma Jeanne Moore of Beardstown, Il. in Chicago on September 3, 1948. To this union was born a daughter, Carole Jo Slater Sullivan. Sheriff Slater was elected Sheriff of Nolan County in 1968 and served eight years until 1976. He later became the supervising inspector for jail standards in 1977, a position created that year by the state.

Sheriff Slater was active in the Sweetwater Lions Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Sheriff's Association of Texas and National Sheriff's Association. He was an original director and former president of Community Action Council of Nolan County. He was the last president of the Sweetwater Board of City Development which organized and established the Sweetwater Chamber of Commerce when it was incorporated in 1964. He was also a member of the First United Methodist Church in Sweetwater. Slater was preceded in death by his wife, Jeanne on April 6, 1998; and his parents, Melvin and Mamie Slater. Survivors include his daughter, Carole Sullivan and husband Shawn of Abilene; a grandson, Britt Slater Sullivan of Abilene; an aunt and a cousin.

John H. Lamkin went to be with his Lord and Savior on Thursday, June 15, 1933. He was 57. Deputy Lamkin succumbed to gunshot wounds received two weeks earlier when he came upon a burglary in progress while on patrol, in Blackwell. The suspect immediately opened fire, striking him several times. The suspect also struck him with his vehicle as he fled.

The suspect was sentenced to 50 years in prison for murdering Deputy Lamkin. On June 19, 1936, he and another inmate murdered Guard Felix Smith as they escaped from prison. They were both recaptured and the suspect was sentenced to death for murdering the prison guard. He was executed in the electric chair on August 20, 1937. The second inmate was sentenced to 60 years for murdering Guard Smith.

Deputy Lamkin was survived by his wife and five children.