JASPER, Ala. (WIAT) -- Former Jasper Mayor David O'Mary is being remembered.
O’Mary served as mayor since 2016. According to his family, he died Tuesday.
“He was loved, and he did so much for the city,” Mike Putman said, who works as the executive director for Jasper Main Street.
O’Mary had a full career in banking before embarking on a second career as the mayor of Jasper.
“The biggest thing I always remember about David was him always wanting to help people,” said Bert Hendrix, who worked alongside O’Mary at a bank for over two decades.
“He was always a text away, whether you were a business on 78 or an individual in district three,” Putman said.
O'Mary oversaw the city’s largest paving and infrastructure project ever. Under his leadership, Jasper had the biggest budget surplus in decades, but friends said his biggest accomplishments came during his daily interactions.
“He made the best pancakes in the world out of Clear Creek," said Jud Allen, a family friend. "He meant a lot. He taught me a lot. He will be greatly missed not just by me, but by everyone."
O’Mary's death hasn’t fully sunk in yet for some.
“It’s just not realistic yet that’s he not going to come around the corner,” Hendrix said.
But his legacy in the town will be felt far into the future.
“They need to put a dad gum plaque up or name the new city hall after him," Allen said. "He's done so much for this city."
According to the Jasper city clerk, the Jasper City Council will appoint someone to serve as mayor for the remainder of O'Mary's term, which runs through 2025.