A group of cross-country motorcyclists passed through Northeast Georgia on Sunday to honor the life and memory of Hall County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Brian McNair. McNair, of Clarkesville, died on July 20, 2020, after a confirmed exposure to COVID-19 while working at the Hall County Jail.
The End of Watch Ride’s national “Ride to Remember” paid tribute to him during a stopover on July 18 at the sheriff’s office in Gainesville.
McNair was a US Marine Corps and Georgia National Guard veteran who built a career in local law enforcement. He worked as a deputy in Habersham before joining the Hall County Sheriff’s Office in 2000. He is survived by his wife, Wendy McNair, and their nine children, who range from 3 years old to 23.
The Ride to Remember, organized by Jagrut Shah, honors the lives of law enforcement officers who paid the ultimate price. Six riders, followed by a trailer with the names and photos of the fallen, embarked on a more than 22,000-mile journey across the United States on May 28.
Riders from the Gwinnett chapter of Georgia’s Blue Knights Motorcycle Club, made up of active and retired members of law enforcement, joined in Sunday’s tribute.
One of Lt. McNair’s nine children, Rose McNair, attended the event. Riders and Hall County Sheriff’s officers came together to offer her comfort and support and extend condolences to her family as they approach the one-year anniversary of his death.
Rose says this past year has been “the slowest and fastest year” of her life. With the death of her father alongside a global pandemic and her senior year of college at Truett McConnell, she says her father’s encouragement to finish out school when she wanted to give up years earlier is what kept her in school after his death.
“He was the best guy there ever was,” Rose says. “He was the most honest person you’d ever meet, and he was funny. […] He loved his family, he loved his job, he loved his kids.”
During this painful time in her life, Rose says she feels honored to have the End of Watch Riders come to Northeast Georiga to remember her father.
“It’s an honor to have people like them that are so sweet to come out and do this for everybody,” Rose says. “And it’s just crazy to think about how all of these people have families, and they’ve all lost someone.”
A Forsyth county family drove to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office to see a loved one’s photo on the trailer and meet with the riders. Tim Rice of Cumming and his family came to honor the life of his cousin, Lieutenant Jon Anderson, who served with the Spokane, Washington Police Department. Rice remembers his cousin as “Mr. Fix-It,” who he always had something to learn from. He says he loved his job and his community and is dearly missed by his family.
“It’s very moving when you’re here in person and you see it [the trailer],” Rice says. “Knowing Jon personally and how good of a man he was, it’s nice to see him be honored in this way.”
One of the organization’s goals is to bring together families that have lost their loved ones in law enforcement and give them a space to seek comfort and understanding. The Rice family and McNair’s daughter were able to connect; riders Amy Moden and Tracey Sullivan, who both lost their spouses in the line of duty, offered McNair’s daughter comfort during their time in Gainesville on Sunday.
This is the second time the End of Watch Riders have traveled to Hall County. Their first visit was in 2020 to honor Deputy Blane Dixon who was shot and killed in the line of duty.
“It means a lot to us,” Hall County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Greg Cochran tells Now Habersham. “It can never give us a sense of closure, we’re never going to replace our fallen officers, but it lets us know it’s okay to move on, and it helps family and friends deal with a tragic loss.”
To learn more about the End of Watch “Ride to Remember,” you can visit their website here.
