CLOVIS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Family and friends gathered at The Well Community Church Tuesday to honor the life of retired Fresno County Sheriff Richard Pierce. Pierce died on Aug. 21 after serving two terms from 1999 to 2007. He leaves behind five children and soon-to-be 14 grandchildren. He was 80 years old. “Today we celebrate not only a good man, but a great man, a great husband, a great father, and a great sheriff,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said. Loved ones describe him as an intense yet fair man. “There are some really good things that Sheriff Pierce did, and one of them was the Educational School Safety Program. He was instrumental in getting the Take Home Vehicle program implemented for deputies, and, because of Sheriff Pierce, we were issued patrol rifles,” Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni said.  Zanoni says many of these programs are still in place as Pierce’s fingerprint on the county. “As much as he dedicated himself to his profession, my father's greatest pride and joy was us: his children and grandchildren,” Pierce’s son Michael Pierce said. The family reflected on Pierce’s strictness at home and the way he trained them from an early age to go into law enforcement. Two of Pierce’s sons work for the Fresno Police Department. Tuesday’s speeches were emotional, as loved ones reflected on his integrous character. Retired Sheriff Margaret Mims succeeded Pierce and says he believed in her potential when others didn’t.  “We pay a price for deep love, and that price is deep grief. No matter how much time we have to prepare for the day someone we love leaves us, we still don't feel ready to say goodbye, even though it may be a relief from suffering,” Mims said. Amidst the grief, they found comfort in Pierce’s profession of faith. “25 years ago, he decided to start attending church and studying God's Word… I believe dad knew that he, his and his community that he serves would be better off with a man of God at the helm,” Pierce’s son Jeff Pierce said. “When Richard got to the gates of Heaven, he heard a loud and thunderous voice say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the Kingdom of God,’” Dyer said. His family encourages the community to rejoice over his life with them. They say he had a booming, unforgettable laugh and would want others to be joyful too.