FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. — The Fayette County Sheriff's Office is mourning the loss of one of its deputies after she passed away from COVID last Thursday.
Fayette County Sheriff Barry H. Baab made the announcement Tuesday that Detention Officer Lisa Anne Johnson passed away after battling COVID.
"It is with a heavy heart that we inform our community that we have lost part of our family with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office," Baab wrote in a letter.
Baab said Johnson began working at Fayette County's Jail Division in December 2019 and she previously worked at the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office.
"She was a veteran with a sweet spirit that was full of knowledge, experience, and an example to our younger officers. Early in 2020, she made me a custom face mask that was so impressive, I asked if she would make all our employees a mask," he wrote. "She jumped at the chance, always giving in service to her agency and community."
Baab said he's been in touch with Johnson's family, who would like privacy during this time.
"We are working alongside the family to help them transition with issues like Lisa’s employee benefits, honoring her memory at a future service and any other needs we can meet for them," Baab wrote. "Lisa is a great example of someone who serves behind the scenes in our jail and is a hero in a position most do not think about when one thinks of a First Responder. I can tell you without a doubt, our community is a safer place because of a hero like Lisa."
A GoFundMe has been started to help Johnson's family with funeral costs. According to the GoFundMe page, Lisa's husband, Leroy Johnson, passed away from COVID within three days of Lisa. The couple leaves behind a 15-year-old son and an adult daughter.
As of Tuesday evening, the GoFundMe has raised over $3,000 of its $15,000 goal.
