RADCLIFF, Ky. (WDRB) -- Tanya Seabrooks, 45, had a passion for helping others and the drive to get things done in Hardin County, hence her well-known nickname.
"She was 'The Game Changer,'" Radcliff Mayor JJ Duvall said. "Everything that she became a part of, she worked to make a change."
Seabrooks died Thursday after fighting a long illness. Community members said the councilwoman passing leaves a massive void.
"That's the way you're supposed to go out: changing peoples lives," said Neal Gibbs, an assistant principal with Hardin County Schools. "I hope I can live up to some of the things she's done, because she changed my life, and, most importantly, she touched my students' lives."
Residents of Radcliff, Kentucky, are mourning the loss of beloved Councilwoman, Tanya Seabrooks, who was known around town as "The Game Changer."
Seabrooks was a familiar face in Gibbs' classroom, whether it was speaking at Career Day or buying clothes for kids in need.
"Tanya was a born leader," he said. "A real leader changes how people think and how people react."
For Seabrooks, it was always about others.
"That was what Tanya was about: service over self," Duvall said.
Every year, Seabrooks hosted a community Christmas luncheon. Going around town collecting donations, she often asked the mayor for a contribution to help buy turkeys. Duvall shared a photo on Facebook of the two of them smiling and holding a check. It was first time Seabrooks approached him with her idea for the Christmas meal, he said.
Radcliff Councilwoman Tanya Seabrooks hosted a community Christmas luncheon every year.
"I wrote her a check, and I said, 'Every time I see you, you're wanting money. We might as well just get married,'" he joked. "I think we were laughing at that point, and she said, 'You are so bad.'"
In Seabrooks' absence, local chef Maria Bell plans to continue the councilwoman's Christmas tradition, likely take-out style due to the pandemic.
"The 'In Tanya's Memory Luncheon' is in place," said Bell, who hopes to keep Seabrooks' memory and passion for serving others alive.
"Oh my God, you should have met Tanya," Bell said. "She's an icon. She is a legacy for this area."
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