Putnam County Sheriff Kevin McConville died Friday morning after fighting an illness that forced him to end his reelection campaign. He was 68 years old.

One of McConville's last major decisions of his decades-long career was to appoint Brian Hess, his undersheriff, earlier this month.

Hess, who was appointed to acting sheriff Friday morning following his mentor's death, has been managing.

"Anyone who's sick or has been through a situation like this understands," Hess said. "Even when you expect it to come, when it does actually happen, it does still take you by surprise."

McConville was a 30-year member of the MTA Police Department where he rose to the chief's position.

He had a leading role on September 11th, 2001, and in the following days to maintain transportation security.

He was active in the local political scene where he met Tony Scannapieco, the former Putnam County Republican Party chairperson. The two would bond over their careers as first responders. Scannapieco was still processing a few hours after McConville's passing.

"He was a good man," he said of McConville. "We knew he was sick, but then he was getting better. Then all of a sudden, I woke up this morning and they said he was gone."

McConville was first elected Putnam County Sheriff in 2021. He announced this past June he would cease his reelection campaign.

McConville was private about his illness.

News 12 stories featuring McConville in Oct. 2023 and then in Dec. 2023 show a stark difference in his appearance after two months.

McConville was with family and friends Friday morning at his home in Cold Spring. Condolences have been pouring in from around the state.

"We are grateful for his leadership over his three-decade career," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. "And safer because of it."

Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne said he will always remember when he and McConville combined their two Irish-themed campaign events earlier this year.

'The two Irish Kevins," they called themselves.

"He would do a 'Half-way to St. Patrick's Day' [event]. I would do an Irish breakfast," Byrne said during an interview Friday morning at his office. "I was like, 'This is silly.' So we just called it 'Kevin and Kevin's Irish Breakfast'...It was fun with a lot of friends, and we all miss him."

McConville is survived by his wife Janice, three children and two grandchildren.

His funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Our Lady of Loretto Church in Cold Spring.

Though he announced he would not pursue reelection, Sheriff McConville was still technically the Republican Party's nominee for the November election until his death this morning.

The Putnam Board of Elections said the county's Republican Party has until Sept. 10 to nominate a new candidate for the Republican line.

A county elections commissioner said had Sheriff McConville not passed, he would have remained on the ballot.