Rebecca Hughson speaks from the heart when she calls them her “families.” She is talking about the people she deals with who are often facing the toughest time in their lives.
It’s her approach to helping others that played a huge role in Hughson earning the Harry Pippin Deputy Coroner of the Year Award for Georgia. Hughson was presented the honor at the Annual Coroners of Georgia meeting September 24 in Macon.
“I love my community,” Hughson said. “You gotta have heart, you gotta have God.”
She says her goal is “to be an asset with the transition” families go through after the loss of a loved one.
“You never know when it’s going to be you,” Hughson says of her work. “So I treat others the way I would want to be treated.”
Her efforts have produced both rewarding and sad moments. She has been told, “You made a difference,” and “Thank you for making it easier.”
Still, she said, “I am very humbled...I don’t feel like I deserve it,” speaking of the Deputy Coroner of the Year honor.
Coroner Becky Callihan would disagree. She said of Hughson, “She’s always happy to do her job...she always does an outstanding job.”
Callihan says that no matter the circumstances, Hughson always “goes above and beyond the call of duty.”
And both look at the team at the Fannin County Coroner’s Office as a family.
“We have a tight knit family,” Hughson said.
“All three of my deputies (coroners) deserve this award,” Callihan said.