Fulton Commissioner Loses Battle With Breast Cancer

ATLANTA, GA -- Joan Garner, Fulton County's District 4 Commissioner, has passed away after a battle with cancer.

Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves said he and his colleagues are "heartbroken" by the loss of Garner, who was serving as the body's vice chair for 2017.

Garner died Tuesday morning following a lengthy battle with breast cancer, Eaves said.

"We will miss her thoughtful service, her passion for equity, and, especially, her smile and her warmth," he added. "Our thoughts and prayers are with her spouse and our friend, Judge Jane Morrison, as well as the rest of her family."

While on the Commission, Garner served as an campaigner against health disparities and became the county's sponsor of the All People are Healthy priority. She also joined Eaves in co-founding the Fulton County Task Force on HIV/AIDS and "championed numerous other health initiatives," he added.

She also sponsored numerous programs for young people. Even in within the last month she greeted students at the annual “Don’t Touch The Fire” conference for at-risk youth.

Garner has worked in the non-profit sector and been an active participant in many community leadership positions. She was also elected third vice-president for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia and was active in the National Association of Counties.

The late commissioner also served on the boards of the Atlanta Beltline Affordable Housing, Metropolitan Community Development Corporation, Council of Foundations, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Lambda Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Southerners on New Ground, Georgia Share Funding Exchange, Southern Reinvestment Ventures and Fourth Tuesday Incorporated.

She was appointed to the Transition Team of Mayor-Elect Maynard Jackson and the Atlanta Olympic Citizen’s Advisory Commission. Garner also served as senior advisor on Gay and Lesbian Issues under Mayor Jackson.

First elected to the County Commission in 2010, Garner represented District 4, which encompasses the heart of the Atlanta, Midtown, and neighborhoods west of downtown Atlanta to Fulton Industrial Boulevard. She and Morrison, a Fulton County State Court judge, lived in Old Fourth Ward.

Garner earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of the District of Columbia and a master's degree in Organizational Communication from Howard University.

"In the midst of our sorrow, I am so glad we took the opportunity to honor Joan and her work on behalf of citizens of Fulton County at our meeting last week," Eaves added. "As a group, we were able to let her know how much we cared for her as an individual, and how much we admired her exemplary service to citizens. Her courage and unwavering commitment to service during her long health battle has been an example to all of us."

Image via Fulton County