Brian Mahaffey memorial page memories:
Brian, this is Mom. I miss you so much. What I wouldn’t do to be able to give you one more hug, kiss or tell you to quit dipping!!!! Brian, I know you are looking down and saying mom it's O.K. For I am up here with Waylon, and Pawpaw and we got some catching up to do. Brian you would be so proud of Diana; she loves you so much!!! I keep telling myself “How can we go on?” But then I know you would want me to be strong for Diana and Trenton and Aniston. I am trying, my son. I just wanted you to know there will never be a day that you are not on my mind. You left too soon, but God needed you there. I am sorry for being selfish of wanting you here with us!!! We are trying to keep it together, but it so hard. My heart is breaking for Diana, and the babies. I have said so many times since you left us, “How can I go on?” and everyone says we need you. For you know, I told you many times Brian, I had you on May 7, 1982 (it was a Friday), and two days later it was my first Mother's Day. It was the best one of my LIFE!!! Brian, I know you’re looking down and saying “I know, Mom, you've told me this a hundred times.” I probably sound crazy for writing you here, but I need to talk to you. I miss you so much. This community has been so great to Diana and the kids and to us the outpouring of love and support has been so beautiful. Today (5/20), Tavas had a memorial fundraiser for Diana and the kids. It was so beautiful. Daddy has been so strong, and so has Christopher, but me, on the other hand, I have not!!! I know I am not supposed to question God, but it so hard not to. You and Diana and the kids were my life. Everyone I talk to, I tell them keep us in your prayers!!! Brian you were truly my HERO!!!!!!! Love ya, MOM
-- Cindy Mahaffey
Brian was our “firstborn” grandchild. I remember that long wait at Rockdale hospital in anticipation of Brian’s birth. Both sides of the family were there. I mean the waiting room was filled to capacity. We were so excited and could hardly wait to see him. That little “bundle of joy” brought lots of happiness to our lives. I love you Brian. I thank our Lord God for giving us Brian.
– “Granny” Mabel Mahaffey
I remember when Brian graduated from the police academy. We knew from what he told us about how tough it was, that Brian was going to be a good officer. We cheered Brian on.
- Grandfather Robert Mahaffey
Brian was a good man. I knew he was a hero before he even became an officer. He saved my life was he was 13 and I was 5. I was very close to drowning in the Alcovy River. My foot was stuck between two rocks and I was completely invisible to everyone for about 30 seconds till Brian pulled me out of the raging river and brought me to shore. I will never forget that miraculous day.
- Cousin Jimmy Thurston
When Brian was a teen, he was the clown at his cousin’s birthday parties. The fun didn’t start till Brian walked in. Helium talking, balloon screeching, wacky and comical. I’m glad we’ve got videos to remember the good times we shared together.
– Aunt Lisa and Cousin Elizabeth
My name is Robert Land and I am Brian Mahaffey's uncle. It's hard to pick just one favorite memory of Brian. There were so many good times and a lot of laughs throughout the years with him. Since I have to choose one, I guess I would have to go with Thanksgiving 1998. My wife, Jessica, and I had Thanksgiving dinner at our home in Macon, Ga. for my family. Brian, his mom, Cindy, and his younger brother, Christopher, decided to spend the whole week with us. We lived on a lake and as everyone knows, Brian loved to fish. He spent most of the week fishing and even got Jessica to fish with him.
The day after Thanksgiving, I had to work, so Brian and Jessica spent the day fishing. Christopher, 14 years old at the time, decided it would be fun to play pranks on them. At one point, he began throwing pine cones at Jessica. They kept warning him to stop, but he just kept on. Eventually, he went inside for a few minutes then came back out to announce that his mother was watching the show ER if they wanted to come in and watch it too. Brian then said "Christopher, you are going to see the inside of an ER yourself when Uncle Robert gets home and finds out that you have been picking on Aunt Jessie all day." Christopher started begging them not to tell me, but Brian continued to tell him that I was going to be furious when I found out what he had done. Brian got the biggest kick out of watching his little brother squirm for hours just waiting for me to come home.
Well, when I got home, Christopher was hiding under the stairs, absolutely terrified. Brian told me what was going on and said for me to really scare Christopher. I acted like I was really, really angry and Christopher got so scared he took off running. It took forever for us to convince him it was all a joke and that he wasn't in any trouble. Brian just stood there laughing and laughing at his brother. He has never let Christopher forget about this and we all still laugh about it. That was Brian, always making people laugh and constantly picking on his little brother. Our lives will never be the same without him. We love you Brian and miss you so very, very much.
- Robert Land
I didn’t know Brian for a very long time but I had the honor of calling him my brother. I married his brother in September 2008 and he instantly made me feel part of the family. I don’t know if it was because he was a cop or maybe just because he was such a big guy but I was always a little intimidated by Brian. Maybe that’s why it always made me feel so good when he was so kind to me. Maybe I didn’t know a whole lot about him - or even know any of his special quirks or favorite foods - but I did know this: He adored his wife, he lived for his kids, he brought joy to his parents and he was his brother's best friend. Today, I'm thankful for the few years I did know Brian, and I'm thankful for the hope of Heaven. I'm so proud of you, Brian, and I can't wait to see you again.
- Katie Mahaffey
One beautiful Friday afternoon my phone rang. My brother Terry was speaking with great urgency that he needed me to watch his young son Brian. Stating my inexperience, I reluctantly agreed. Terry rushed over to my house placed Brian in my arms told me he needed a diaper change and that he would be hungry soon, all while running to his car. Here I am early 20s, no experience, and about to get a big dose of motherhood.
OK, the diaper change – disgusting. It took what seemed to be 30 minutes or so. Baby Brian is frustrated at my nervousness and lack of talent, screaming for his bottle, which I could not produce fast enough. After bottle and burping, another disgusting diaper. I thought it would be impossible to top the first one, but the diaper wasn't placed properly so it was even messier than the first and it took a long time to clean up. No one ever told me about boys. I had no warning, and before I could get his diaper on, he began to spray. My jaw dropped in surprise (I have him on my brand new sofa) and all of a sudden I feel warm liquid in my mouth. I am gagging, Brian is smiling, and as I scoop him up and run to wash my mouth out and it sounds like he is giggling at me. All I could think of is that he is too young to talk and my secret is safe...no one will ever know. When Terry arrived, late that same night, I was totally exhausted almost ready to cry. Brian, the happy baby that he was, was still full of energy and happy to see his daddy. He smiled at me like he knew he had put me through the ringer, waving byebye. During the past few days of grief I tried to lighten the mood by sharing this with Brian's mom and dad, they said that they never knew. Thank goodness Brian was too young to talk, or I would never be able to escape the jokes from my brother had our secret gotten out.
Another memory:
Brian was a true fisherman at an early age. One Saturday when he was about 5 he had begged to go fishing at Hi Roc Lake. All the Mahaffey cousins were in tow with Brian (the oldest), Christopher (Brian’s brother), Brad, and Michelle all fishing on the bank. After only a few minutes Brian trudges up the bank with a disgusted look on his face exclaiming "Can't even fish, they won't stop talkin', they’re scarin' the fish away and Michelle is just usin' a toy rod and reel with no hook on it, just a plastic fish. How do you expect me to catch anything?!" Brian was bound and determined to fish. Needless to say at the end of the day, Brian snagged the one and only catch of the day. A small little brim, I think his smile was bigger than the fish he caught.
- Regina Mclemore
When my son came home after being deployed to Afghanistan, he had surgery and came home on a two-week medical leave to recover. He and Brian had been friends since elementary school. They played middle and high school football together, rec baseball and just hung out with each other many times during those years. While my son was home and felt a little better, Brian was the one who came over and took my son out to dinner and a movie. I remember, as they walked out the door, I told them (after many years of doing so) "Wear your seatbelts and drive carefully and BEHAVE." Then I laughed to myself after they left as I realized that they were no longer my "boys" but a cop and a combat soldier.
- Dee & Al Spivey
My name is Chris Crutchfield and I was the Commander of the Narcotics and Vice Unit from November 2009 to March 2010. I served as Brian’s first line supervisor. I have since left and work for the Rockdale County District Attorney’s Office as an Investigator who investigates the drug cases.
When I came in as the supervisor I was responsible for correcting Brian’s case reports before sending them on to the DA’s Office for prosecution. I would almost always have to turn his case files back for the smallest of grammatical errors (I’m sure his English teachers would get a chuckle!) Every single time he would make a methamphetamine arrest he would write the word methamphetamines, yes with an ‘S’ at the end. I would constantly hound him about it as there the plural pronunciation for methamphetamine has no ‘S.’ I would often tell him that it didn’t matter if it was 1 gram or 1500 pounds, the word methamphetamine will never have an ‘S’!!!!
In my last few days, as one might guess, I inherited another Mahaffey methamphetamine case, and yes, there it was lingering again. He had done it again! I called Brian into my office and closed my door. I said “Mufassa!!!! What in the world man? I just got another report with methamphetamine with an ‘S’!!!!” I said “How about this: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever…….ever, ever, ever…do you put an ‘S’ on that word again!!!! That is an order!”
He just grinned, like he always did, chuckled, and said, “I got ya…Commander!” He was being sarcastic with his comment and I am totally with his sister-in-law on this one; he was just trying to elevate my blood pressure. He had done it once again, just to get under my skin! What a prankster! Lord, I’m gonna miss him!
Another Mahaffey moment was when he called in one day to inform me that he was going to be late. He had some hesitation in his voice and I asked him if everything was OK. He didn’t want to tell me because I was adamant the night before about everyone needing to be in the office for a narcotics operation at 10:00 sharp. He finally said, “Man, I can’t find my car keys to my G ride” (slang for an undercover government car). He went on to say that he always puts them on the counter each and every time he comes in the house and he had no clue where they could have gone! I was a bit upset, but I managed to bite my tongue; I knew Mahaffey well and I chalked it up to… that could only happen to Mahaffey, right?
I decided that he would soon find the keys and that I could find a few “other” things to do around the office before I went to get him at his house which was, yes, on the other side of Rockdale County. I recall calling him back about 30 minutes later, yes, blowing off a pre-planned operation, and asking about everywhere I thought he could have laid them. After him saying: yep, checked there, a dozen or so times, I left the office on the way to get him. I must say that I didn’t take a direct route because I knew he would find them. As I was going down Hwy 138 South I got the call. He had located the keys. “YIPPEE,” I thought, out of pure sarcasm. Then he told me the story.
He had been playing in the floor that morning with Trenton, his 2-year-old son. They had been playing with toy cars from the movie “Cars.” It wasn’t until Daddy had gotten up off the floor and tripped over Tow Mater that he learned their whereabouts! Yep, Trenton had retrieved the keys off the infamous “counter” and loaded them into Tow Mater and closed the door. I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear, as I knew he was doing the same, just like he always did! He had a grin that wouldn’t stop, a quite mischievous one at that. That is the Brian Mahaffey that I knew to respect and love as did every one else that knew him.
I just wish that on the morning of May 8, 2010, Trenton had taken those keys and flushed them down the toilet. Brian Lamar Mahaffey leaves a legacy in the Rockdale County Narcotics and Vice Unit and the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office! He will truly be missed.
Christopher S. Crutchfield
Brian and Dianna shopped my store often and I have two memories I'd like to share. 1) As a grandma myself, I thought this was funny - Brian and Dianna would come in and chat and shop. They'd usually stay at least an hour or so. They'd pick out all the stuff they wanted and would bring maybe about half of it to the counter and pay for it. Then they'd smile and say, "We'll be back later!" And sure enough, a few hours later, they'd come back in with Cindy (grandma) in tow! She would buy up the rest of what they saw, and a bit more. I always joked, "Hey, I'm a grandma too! It's our job to spoil 'em!" 2) I don't think I ever heard Brian call Trenton by his name but once. He always called him Buddy. There was one time though that Trenton was sleepy and acting up a bit. Brian had spoken to him several times. Finally he called him by name and the little guy straightened up right away. He knew Daddy meant business. We need more good daddies like that.
Kelley Collins
Sprouts & The Garden
Memorial Service testimonial:
Scott Stewart, investigator, RCSO
He was my friend.
I know many of you sitting here have your stories of Brian, but I want to share my story.
I remember when Brian graduated from the Clayton County Law Enforcement Academy, he came to the uniform patrol division and he rode around in my patrol car for weeks. I got to know Brian and his family, the Mahaffeys, over the next couple years. I even remember the first time going to his apartment and meeting Diana, who is now his wife.
Brian was always a jokester. If I said something to him, he’d always have a comment back. I can’t tell you what we joked about, but it makes me laugh to think about it.
I was honored to be asked by Brian to attend his wedding, and even more honored when he asked me to be a groomsman at his wedding. There were so many jokes cracked during the wedding practices, I can’t even begin to tell you about the bachelor party. I’ll never forget that night.
I remember going to the hospital when his first child was born. Brian was so excited to be a father. I knew Brian was going to be an excellent father.
I found out one day that Brian liked to fish. He was out in front of the sheriff’s office and caught a monster fish. I spoke to Brian about the fish and he showed me a picture of what he caught. Brian showed me the fish and it turns out to be a catfish, of all things. When he caught that little thing, boy, it turns out to be around 14 pounds.
I had a boat, bought a boat one day, and I started fishing in a fishing club. And we had a tournament on Lake Lanier. I needed a partner and I didn't have a partner. So, the boss said "Hey, how about have Brian fish with you?" I was kind of leery about it because of the whole catfish thing.
So I got with Brian and we decided to go fish. On the way up there, I told him, "Hey, you know, we’re not trying to catch catfish here". Brian said, "We’ll see". When we got to the lake, Brian had two fishing poles. He made his first catch, and I looked at him. And I asked Brian, "What the hell is that you’ve got on your pole?"
Brian said, "It’s a fluke. You’ve never fished with a fluke?" Boy, I had no clue what a fluke was.
I said, Brian, "You do know, we’re on Lake Lanier. That’s not going to work". So as we were fishing I started to catch fish and I'd look at Brian and call him "net boy". I kept making fun of him for using that fluke. I said, "Are you sure you want to stick with that fluke?" Brian said "Yeah".
At the end of the day, we had to weigh in. Brian impressed me that day. Because Brian caught the biggest fish that day.
He rubbed in on the way home, with his little jokes he made on the side. He said, "Told you I'd catch a fish with that fluke". That day I knew Brian could fish, and the next time at Lake Oconee, I didn’t say nothing about the fluke.
I know Brian will miss everyone and everyone will miss him. If I was to see what he was doing now, I bet he’d be fishing somewhere in God’s great lake, using that fluke.
So I say farewell to a friend, only known to some sitting here in this audience today as "Silverback", "Fat Happy".
It’s an honor to be a friend to Brian, a coworker and a brother. And I’ll miss you.
Michaela Simoes, sister in law:
Brian officially became a part of my life on March 31, 2007. That’s the day he married my sister. However I had known him for quite some time before then. Although I was just a sister by marriage, he always treated me like the sister he never had. That is the sister he never had, but never wanted either. Although, for the most part, he treated all the women in his life beautifully.
I will never forget the time, believe it or not, Brian took me fishing. One of Brian's favorite things to do was to go fishing. He could never pass up a chance to go, and his fishing equipment would always be laying out around the house somewhere, so much though his dog Chance got hooked like a 60 pound furry fish one time.
I on the other hand, do not fish very often. Actually really ever. It’s one of the activities I just don’t have the appropriate footwear for.
However, one day, way back in the day, I decided I was going to tag along with Brian. At the time Diana and Brian were living in the apartment and they had given me a key. I used it every opportunity I could, as any high schooler would, to escape my parents house. I think I was watching TV when he came out of his living room, with his tackle boxes and poles.
For some reason, I decided it was a good idea to tell him I was going to tag along.
The fishing spot he was going to was a spot in the woods you had to walk to get to. I was dressed in shorts and flip flops.
It wasn’t until we had walked through about five briar bushes, climbed over a fence, barbed wire mind you, and I tripped over countless roots, that I realized he had taken the longest, most complicated, overgrown route possible to get to the spot. He was trying to lose me.
Of course this realization made me more determined than ever to get to the spot. I probably looked like I’d been through the wringer by the time I made it there, but I did. I don’t even remember if we caught any fish. We probably only stayed an hour before he decided he had enough of his newfound fishing partner, and marched us back. I never went fishing with him again.
Outside of fishing, Brian loved his job. He was proud to be a cop, and rightfully so. He was a great deputy. I know this firsthand because I worked with him when I joined radio a couple of years back.
Right after I was hired, I was put on morning watch, the same shift as Brian. I believed he enjoyed the extra chances to joke on me. There were a few times he really got me.
When I was on the radio and he pulled over a car, he would call the person’s drivers license information into me, over the radio, so I could run it on GCIC. He would say the person’s simple, run-of-the-mill first name to me and spell it out, nice and slow. Then he would pronounce the weirdest last name. I’m talking about the kind of last name that have syllables and letters that look like they would never belong together all jumbled up with hyphens. He would always follow up with his pronunciation with, “That’s common spelling, radio.”
I would usually lower and shake my head for a few seconds before I keyed back up, "2330, can you re-advise on the spelling of the person’s last name?" Of course the response was always, “Common spelling, radio. It’s common spelling.”
As if fishing and working with him wasn’t enough, I even lived with him and Diana at one point. I used to laugh at myself as I would pull up in the driveway in the morning.
He would always beat me to home, but he never made it into the house before me. He would use the opportunity to sit in his patrol car and “work on reports”, and by “work on reports” I mean snooze out in his patrol car for a good 30 minutes to an hour before he went inside and Diana gave him a list of honey-do things to-do before he could go to bed.
One great thing about living with him was getting to see Brian interact with Trenton. I moved in when Trenton was just a couple of months old. Even at that young, he was already Brian’s little buddy. It was amazing to see the way Trenton acted when Brian walked into the room. He lit up. Brian did just the same.
Even when Trenton got older, you could never tear him away from Brian. If you wanted to hold onto Trenton and Brian was in the room, tough stuff. He wasn’t letting go.
Brian even taught him to say “Deuces.” He even taught him how to throw the deuces up. I remember the first time I saw Trenton do it, I laughed so hard, my eyes were watering.
It’s so Brian to teach his son something so silly like that. I hope so much Trenton inherits Brian’s sense of humor.
When Anniston was born, my sister went into labor in the middle of the night. I couldn’t be there right away, so I was texting both her and Brian. I was so excited, I couldn’t get over how she seemed to be doing so well. As I was texting her phone, she was answering back right away, even joking around a lot.
Wow, I thought. She sure is taking this a lot better this time around.
The simultaneous conversations went on for about 20 minutes between her and Brian, before I got a text from my sister’s phone: “Um, by the way, this is Brian too. You’re talking to me on both phones because your sister’s busy right now, being in labor and all.”
I’m so grateful for Brian always making me laugh so much, even though the jokes were usually directed at me, I was constantly laughing.
I'm thankful for him for many other reasons too. It was Brian, actually, who introduced me to the little wonders that are Nike flip flops. I've also been very grateful these past couple of years, because Brian has helped me move, countless times. He was really good at lifting super heavy stuff.
I’m sure after I moved into the house I purchased this past year, "Finally, I get a break for a bit". However, the thing I am most grateful for is the way he was with my sister. He loved her fiercely. Even from the beginning, he was always so sure of her. He knew they were meant to be together.
I hope she finds some comfort in this.
I hope he knows, when she finds her first gray hair, her first wrinkle, whenever that may be, that I will give her so much heck about being old. Just like he would have.
Each day, as Trenton and Aniston grow older, we will do everything in our power to remind them of Brian
Not a single day will go by that they will wonder who he was or if he loved them. We will tell them he was a great husband and a wonderful cop, but that his strongest suit was always fatherhood.
We will take them to monster truck shows and little league football games and teach them to fish, just like Brian would. I never even realized until yesterday how many men there were that would probably be willing to line my sister’s front porch and clean their guns when Aniston is older and goes out on her first date. Lord help that poor boy, whoever he may end up being.
Every step of the way, we as family, as friends, as a community, we will be there to do those for those babies. I hope this is something he and my sister both know.
Facebook memorial page comments:
Carol Manning: "Thank You" sounds a little shallow, after all He did for us; however, it is with deep sincerity...Thank You and God Bless.
Dianne H Darby: I am so sorry to hear of a fallen officer. My son is also an officer and when I told him of this he was so very sadden by this news. These officers love what they do and they do it to protect us!! I did not know Brian, but from what I have heard we have really lost a wonderful man, officer and father/son/husband. It is so sad to lose someone this way. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and those who knew and loved him. God be with his family, friends and officers who worked with and knew him.
Theresa Brown Schroeder-Langley: I was lucky enough to spend a day doing a ride along with officer Mahaffey. He gave me a tour of Conyers and told me about what it was like growing up and going to high school there and how much Rockdale had changed. We talked about family and friends and just about everything else in that 8 hour shift. I had the best time and I can truly he say he was one of Rockdale's finest. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children.
Ann H Norris: Cindy & Terry I know eventually you will read all these wonderful, comforting thoughts & silent prayers. that have gone out to you and your family. I Know that Brian was looking down and his heart soared with pride, with the support, from the community, & fellow officers. He was pleased, as he looked down & smiled.........with the service...God will get yall thru this.... we love you
Kathy Antley Bubb: To the Mahaffey family, friends, and fellow law enforcement family, you will continually be in my prayers. To the people of Rockdale County who showed their support, you have my gratitude. Please pray for the safety of all our first responders. Cousin of Okaloosa County Warren York EOW 4/25/09
Bessie Lou Wilson: Our thoughts and prayers are with your family during this terrible time. May God Bless You and Comfort you and give you a peace that only he can give!
Frances Spakes Mullins: May God bless and comfort this family and may happy memories carry them through this sorrowful time.
Charlotte Loveland Bailey: God bless you and all of your family. With all these wonderful sentiments, it is obvious that Brian was a special person and will be remembered with love and pride.
Randy Shores: My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. I didn't know him personally, but was glad to be a part of the hundreds of people that lined the streets today in honor and support for him and the many men that put their lives at risk each and every day. This is a terrible tradegy, may God be with the family as they will be in our thoughts and prayers forever.
Kathy Hogan Henderson: We pray for peace and strength for his family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you !
Janet Hogan Chapman: I did not know Brian but it is obvious he was a special man. To his family: I lost a son at age 28 just about a year ago and I know the pain you are going through. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Jessica Stearns-Smith: I pray for him & his family to find peace....♥
Sabrina Stewart: Praying that God provides strength for Diana and her family as well as the Mahaffey's. Thanking all the officers and attendee's for their support and the beautiful ceremony that Brian would have loved. Love Sabrina and Scott
Linda Smith: I didn’t know Brian but my heart aches for his family and know that i appreciate the sacrifice and I pray for his wife and children....
Anna M Miller: May Brian RIP, our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, children, his parents, brothers, the RCSO and all those who knew and loved him.
Yvonne Wilkerson: Diana - I am praying for you today as you try to rebuild your life. May God wrap you in His arms and give you the strength and comfort you need to put one foot in front of the other.
Kathy Belleville: What an awesome memorial for this fallen officer who gave his life for the protection of our community. Rest in Peace Brian.
Emmanuel O.: Price Rest in peace my brother
Terry Sosebee: God bless the Mahaffey family and the men and women of the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office. No truer hero can be found than those that serve and sacrifice for their country, community, and fellow man.
Rebecca Wiseman Robinson: My prayers are with all of the family members at this time. Thank you for your service Brian Mahaffey
Beverly Austin: We love you Brian and will miss you terribly. We are so very proud of you!! Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families, friends, and fellow officers.
Sherry Mcdaniel: May God watch over Deputy Brian's family and all who loved him. He will now be watching over you. I thank God for people like him who choose to protect others.
David Truax: God be with you my brother and watch over your family.
Kathy M. Ward: Thank-you to everyone who has been posting the memorial pictures. I was busy at the church and couldn't be outside to see all of this. It has blessed my heart to see the photos of a community honoring our hero, Brian Mahaffey. XXXOOO to you Diana.
Jerry McClain: my prayers are with his family, God you took him to soon away from his family, now that you have him, watch over his family, protect them always, like he would do. amen
Heather Southerland: What an amazing outpouring of support yesterday from this community. The route down 138 was incredible. I'm proud to be a native of this county where the police actually care and protect us.
Tom Burnet: I am so sorry...at the same time I am honored to live in the community he served!!
Joshua Melson: Brain I love you man! have you catch the big one up there yet?
