Raleigh County Commission President David Tolliver remembered as having “a heart shaped like Raleigh County”

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Family and those who knew Raleigh County Commission President David Tolliver mourned together Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

Tolliver, 76, died Monday, June 3, 2024, as the result of an apparent heart attack, according to Raleigh County officials.

As the reality of the loss settled at the Raleigh County Commission offices the following morning, Commissioner Linda Epling remembered Tolliver as not just a coworker, but as a friend.

“Raleigh County just lost a really good commissioner, a good person, a good Christian man, and he’s going to be missed by alot of people,” Commissioner Epling said at her home on Tuesday, June 4, 2023.

Dave Tolliver, who had been re-elected president of the Raleigh County Commission in January, grew up without water in Wyoming County, giving him a life long appreciation for public water service.

He said that, as a child, he had helped men in the community bring a water delivery system to his town which was a coal town.

Tolliver moved to Raleigh County in the early 1970’s to make his home. He and his wife, Pat Tolliver, have two children, Tammi and Kevin, and four grandchildren.

Tolliver was also a veteran, serving in the U.S. Army 101 First Airborne Division. He also served as a firefighter at Beckley Fire Department for nearly 29 years and worked as a bus driver for the Raleigh County Board of Education for around a decade.

He was well known for expanding access to water and sewer service to the county’s rural communities, and had launched multiple projects shortly before his death.

“I think there is like five projects that he has worked on so hard, and I hope they come true,” said Commissioner Epling. “They’re well on their way.”

Raleigh County Clerk Scott Vanmeter said on Tuesday that the loss would be felt throughout the community.

“He was a very moral man. [He] cared about his family, good family man, cared about the people of the county,” said Vanmeter, who said he had known Tolliver for more than 20 years. Vanmeter said that, during his years, Tolliver had even served as an umpire for kids’ baseball games.

Staff in the Raleigh County Commission office frequently said that Tolliver’s heart was “shaped like Raleigh County,” a phrase they somberly repeated inside the quiet office on Tuesday where the regular meeting where Tolliver usually presided had been cancelled.

“He was always there,” said Commissioner Epling. “Raleigh County always came first, and it didn’t matter who it was, didn’t matter what they were asking. He did what was right for Raleigh County.”

Raleigh County Attorney Carl “Bill” Roop, a longtime friend, said he had been with the Tolliver family at the hospital on Monday.

In a written statement, Tolliver’s family thanked the community for the outpouring of support. They stated, “Dave truly loved serving the people of Raleigh County. He will be sorely missed by friends and family.”

Raleigh County felt dimmer on Tuesday to many, and yet Tolliver left a legacy of dedication and growth, suggesting the heart of David Tolliver still beats in the shape of Raleigh County.

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