MACON — If the amount of people who attended Saturday’s funeral service is any indication, then O’Bryan Lashan Brandy had a heart the size of Noxubee County.
If the tributes told are any indication, Brandy was a star with an eternal light that always will shine on Noxubee County High School.
Brandy’s heart no longer beats, though. The former Noxubee County High School graduate and football player was shot and killed the morning of Oct. 29 during a robbery in Tallahassee, Fla. He was 29 years old.
But the star continues to shine. The Noxubee County community refuses to let it go out.
One week after his tragic death, hundreds of people packed the Noxubee County High School gymnasium for the funeral service. Friends, family, fans, classmates, teammates, co-workers, pastors and everyone in-between attended. Some knew Brandy from Noxubee County; some knew him from Tallahassee. But all came for the purpose of remembering just how special he was.
Some even said a few words and paid tribute to a man who left a legacy both on and off the field.
“We did so much stuff together,” said Antwan “Preacher” Cooper, a long-time friend and former high school football teammate, fighting back tears for only one more sentence. “We had so much fun.”
Brandy was born Sept. 18, 1982 in Macon. He is survived by his parents, Laura Ann Brandy and Jerome Hairston Sr. He was a past member of Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church in Macon and later joined the Greater Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee. Brandy has many family members in Noxubee County, and he leaves behind a wife, Chimere Brandy, and three children: Aaliyah Brandy, of Macon; and O’Bryan and O’Breana Brandy, of Tallahassee.
Brandy graduated from Noxubee County High School in 2002 and was a star athlete in football and basketball. His obituary states he “was considered a rising star.” He received a two-year football scholarship at East Mississippi Community College. He then accepted another football scholarship to Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
FAMU teammates, who referred to him as “O.B.,” also attended the service to pay their condolences. Sammy Doughty, who knew O.B. since the seventh grade and was his roommate at FAMU, remembered the humor that constantly put a smile on his face.
“He could keep me laughing for days,” Doughty said. “We played together in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game. He would never let me forget about Columbus not beating Noxubee County.”
Tyrone McGriff, another FAMU teammate, remembered the “never-give-up spirit that lead him to continually bring people up when they were down”
“Just being around him for 15 minutes and you’d think he was your best friend,” McGriff said after the service. “He always made you smile, especially if you were down about something.”
Noxubee County High School football coach Tyrone Shorter also remembers Brandy well. He used to coach him.
“He ran track for me and I was the defensive coordinator when he played football here,” he said.
But the relationship didn’t end when Brandy graduated.
“Whenever he would come home he would always come by and see me,” Shorter said.
“When I heard the news, it was almost like I lost a family member. He was such a good kid.”
He isn’t the only one who remembers Brandy. There are teachers who taught him and remember him the same way Shorter does: a great kid who “always smiled and never got in trouble.”
“I don’t think this kid could hurt a fly,” Shorter said.
Shorter described Brandy as “a great athlete” and one that the community will remember for a long time.
“It was a sad thing around here because a lot of people knew him and remember him as a great football player,” Shorter said. “It hurt this community real hard.”
Omarr Conner, another former Noxubee County football teammate, went a step further than just saying he was a great player. Brandy played tight end and linebacker, and Conner said “he was the best linebacker to ever come from Mississippi.”
“He was the best thing to happen to Noxubee County.”
Using the high school gymnasium is an indicator of the impact the tragic death has had on Noxubee County. The gym was packed, and as Shorter said, a big place was needed to fit everyone who wished to pay tribute.
“He’s a likable person and he’s a well-known person here. This community is heart broken,” Shorter said. “It’s just a shame that a good kid has to go that way.”
Saturday was not the only day people at the school paid tribute. On Friday night, the Tigers hosted and defeated North Ponotoc in a first-round Class 4A playoff game. During halftime, members of the 2002 graduating class released red, white and blue balloons from the field up to the sky in memory of their own shining star.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
