Brian Tennant, Greene County sheriff, died Feb. 27 after a long battle with brain cancer. Just just 35 years old, Tennant left behind a legacy of service to his family and the Waynesburg area that residents and coworkers have felt the effects of.

One of the many that have been affected by the loss of Tennant is Brian Tanner, mayor of the Borough of Waynesburg. When Tanner thinks back on Tennant’s service to the community, he remembers an act of heroism that shows Tennant’s commitment to his job.

“When I think back on Brian, the one thing I remember about him the most was that we had a fire and a couple kids passed away in that fire and he rescued two of the kids,” Tanner said. “When I think of Brian, I always think about him as a hero foremost.”

Soon after this incident, Tennant, still a member of the Waynesburg Police Department, learned that he had an inoperable tumor growing on his brain stem. The officer fought the disease, and returned to the line of duty. In 2013, Tennant ran for Greene County Sheriff, won, and then successfully ran for re-election again in 2017.

Tanner knows Waynesburg lost an essential member, and can see the impact it’s already had on locals.

“With his passing as sheriff, I think as far as the community goes, it kind of took a little bit of the heart out of the community. So many people knew him and respected him,” he said.

Tanner said that while Tennant is irreplaceable, he is confident the next person to step into the position will do a good job, mainly because of the positive community atmosphere in Waynesburg. Tanner believes that moving forward, the community will not let Tennant’s legacy be forgotten.

“You can’t replace somebody like Brian, of course, and the community has to move on and we have a pretty strong community around here in Greene County, it’s very tight knit,” he said. “So as a community, I’m sure we will be looking at the right person to move forward. As I say, we will move forward but never forget him.”

Waynesburg’s former chief deputy sheriff, Marcus Simms, was named interim sheriff last week.

“No one can ever replace Sheriff Tennant, but I look forward to continuing with Sheriff Tennant’s plans to advance the sheriff’s office to better serve the citizens of Greene County,” Simms said in a statement. “I will continue serving the citizens of Greene County with the same dedication, honesty and transparency as Sheriff Tennant.”

Tanner will remember Tennant most for his dedication to his family. Tennant leaves behind four sons and a wife.

“One of his most outstanding traits was that he was a family man. He had his boys and his wife. When I always think back on Brian, I think of his contributions to our borough when he was a police officer as a hero and the things he did with the sheriff’s department when he came on board, the changes he made in a positive direction and the things he wanted to do down the road. But the other thing I think of when I think back on him was how committed he was to his family.”

Tanner best described Tennant with a simple statement.

“He  affected everyone he came in contact with and that definitely includes me.”