Funeral services for Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 29, 2019, at the Midland County Horseshoe Arena (on Interstate 20 near South Garfield) in Midland. Graveside services will follow at Resthaven Cemetery in north Midland. Services follow a public viewing scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the Horseshoe.
TxDOT offers its condolences to Sheriff Painter’s family and the law enforcement community as a whole in the wake of this loss. The staff of the Odessa District of TxDOT enjoys a tremendous relationship with the law enforcement community as a whole, and this loss is felt throughout the community. Sheriff Painter was an icon of West Texas law enforcement and his 34 years in office deserves respect.
As Sheriff Painter is laid to rest, TxDOT also wants to remind area motorists that traffic will be unusually heavy Thursday afternoon, both in the area of the Horseshoe Arena and then later near the cemetery. Hundreds of mourners from across the state are expected to attend.
As law enforcement escorts Sheriff Painter’s procession from the Horseshoe to the cemetery, motorists are reminded to exercise extreme caution and to obey the commands of law enforcement. With a foot procession planned as part of the service, a section of Big Spring Street will be closed to through traffic. Northbound will be closed at Wadley Avenue; southbound will be closed at Solomon Lane. Motorists will need to find alternate routes.
During graveside services, northbound Big Spring will remain closed to handle overflow parking. The Loop 250 intersection at Big Spring Street and parts of the service roads will also be closed during the funeral.
The nature of the event prevents us from offering exact time for closures.
If possible, please avoid the area of the Horseshoe in the time leading up to the start of services. It is also advisable to avoid the area of Resthaven Cemetery during the time of graveside services (estimated from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.).
TxDOT asks all motorists to respect the processions and drive with extreme caution in the affected areas.
