Las Vegas has large shoes to fill following the recent death of local businessman and philanthropist Neil Sackmary.
Sackmary, 52, died suddenly last week. Sackmary was the owner of Nevada Coin Mart in Spring Valley, but Joe Tripplet, general manager of the store, said Saturday that many will remember Sackmary more for his charity.
Sackmary, a longtime supporter of the local law enforcement community, was involved with the Injured Police Officers Fund, a Clark County nonprofit organization that offers financial support to officers and their families in the event they are injured or killed in the line of duty.
Tripplet said Sackmary cared deeply about law enforcement-related and education-related causes. On the fund’s website, Nevada Coin Mart is listed as its official sponsor.
“Neil wasn’t just a businessman,” Tripplet said. “He wanted to be someone who helped make Las Vegas a better place.”
A New York native, Sackmary made Las Vegas his home more than 30 years ago, according to an online obituary. He hosted or helped with many charitable fundraisers over the years, and would frequently appear on KTNV-TV’s weekday morning show, often wearing his trademark pink flamingo hat.
He was also the host and creator of a show called “Trooper Talk,” which aired on the station.
Trooper Shawn Haggstrom of the Nevada Highway Patrol said Sackmary’s main goals on the show were to educate his audience about the law and to humanize those working in law enforcement.
“It’s a big loss for the law enforcement community,” Haggstrom said. “He was an integral part of the Injured Police Officers Fund. He raised a lot of money for families. Neil loved Las Vegas. This was his home. He was probably the most generous, caring and loving person that I have met.”
Friends and colleagues said Sackmary, who was a trained gemologist, admired people who worked in law enforcement. Tripplet said he thought of them as heroes.
Minddie Lloyd, director of the Injured Police Officers Fund, fought back tears as she talked about Sackmary on Saturday over the phone.
Lloyd is the widow of Metro Lt. Erik Lloyd, who died in 2020 from complications of COVID-19. She said Sackmary was good friends with her late husband, who was the president of the fund.
“His heart was always with law enforcement,” Lloyd said. “His heart was always with the badge and the people behind the badge. He and Erik had a great friendship and that friendship carried over and will stay with me for the rest of my life. If you needed help, Neil was always there for you.”
As Tripplet talked about Sackmary on Saturday, he paused to help a customer at Nevada Coin Mart, the store Sackmary opened in 2015. He said the plan is to continue to run the business how Sackmary would have wanted it run.
“We’re going to try our best,” Tripplet said. “You don’t fix something that’s not broken. We’re just still so surprised by it. Everybody is surprised.”
Sackmary’s funeral took place Friday at Palm Northwest Mortuary and Cemetery.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
