Brett McMichael served his Georgia community for 35 years before suffering fatal injuries in a cemetery accident.
JULIETTE, Ga. — A Georgia volunteer firefighter who spent decades helping others continued that service through organ donation after he was fatally injured while working in a church cemetery, his family said.
Brett McMichael, 52, died after a grave monument weighing about 700 pounds fell on him June 26 at Juliette United Methodist Church. His relatives said he had been trying to make the cemetery safer when the monument collapsed.
McMichael had served as a volunteer firefighter for 35 years. Family members remembered him as a dependable public servant, husband, father and grandfather whose work for others continued beyond emergency calls.
On the day he was injured, McMichael had been cutting grass at the cemetery. He, his father and another person noticed a monument that needed to be leveled so they could safely mow around it, according to the family.
They attempted to stabilize the monument with a strap, but it gave way and struck McMichael. He was knocked unconscious and flown to a Macon hospital, where he was treated in the neurological intensive care unit.
Doctors performed surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. His family said he also suffered broken vertebrae in his neck, an injured ankle and significant facial injuries.
Relatives met with his medical team July 6 and later announced that life-supporting treatment would be withdrawn because of the severity of his condition. McMichael subsequently died.
His daughter-in-law, Grace McMichael, said he had been trying to protect both the dignity of the gravesite and the safety of people who might visit or maintain it.
“He was trying to stabilize it out of respect for the person who was buried there, but also so it wouldn’t fall on anyone who was visiting their loved one,” she said.
The family said McMichael chose to become an organ donor. An Honor Walk was arranged at the hospital as relatives, hospital workers and supporters recognized the donation before the transplant process.
His death also leaves major responsibilities at home. McMichael had been the primary caregiver and main source of support for his wife, Donna McMichael, who is disabled and has chronic lung disease requiring oxygen around the clock, the family said.
Relatives have sought financial help for medical costs, funeral expenses and Donna McMichael’s future care. Community members have also remembered McMichael for his faith, his firefighting service and the work he performed without expecting recognition.
His family said organ donation allowed McMichael to help save lives after his own could not be saved, extending a record of service that began decades before the cemetery accident.
Author note: Last updated July 15, 2026.