Laura Crane, Brenda Hafley's friend, says, "She was a hero."
When looking at Sergeant Hafley, her friends cannot help but wonder where her all her love and compassion came from because even in the light of daily chemotherapy treatments, they say, her life has always been about others.
In a February interview, Hafley tells us, "If people can just take and help somebody each day that's all that matters."
They are words that make friends, like Crane, smile.
Crane adds, "She just had this fun-loving attitude that life was worth living, and it was very contagious."
Crane says Hafley spent her days spreading that contagious personality while she worked at the Chattanooga Police Department for more than 25 years.
That was until she was diagnosed with single cell RHA Carcinoma.
She was one in just 17 adults in the country to have it.
Hafley told us, "It cuts my esophagus area where I can't eat and I can't swallow."
And she did nothave the strength to fix up her home in February, but with the help of fellow officers and the community, they did just that.
According to Hafley, "It makes me feel great."
Crane says she found out on Saturday that he friend had passed.
She was going to her Facebook page to send her a smiley face, when she read the news.
Crane adds, "The world has become a colder place because of her absence."
Friends tell us you just cannot put into words how much she cared and how much she helped others.
Crane adds, "She always told everybody that she was ready, she was ready to go home and find her a good fishing spot on the beach, and she was ready to be home with the people that had gone before her, and she was not scared because she believed in Jesus."
But it still hurts friends say, as they look at one powerful picture.
The caption is short, but speaks volumes.
It says, "RIP Brenda, We got it from here."
Friends say Hafley graduated from Red Bank High School, and worked on the Dare Program while an officer.
We will bring you funeral arrangments when we get them.
