Former Memphis Fire deputy director dies from COVID-19
Claude Talford, who rose through the ranks of the Memphis Fire Department to become a deputy director and later served as director of the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency, died Thursday morning with COVID-19. He was 65.
After showing symptoms roughly three weeks ago, and after having trouble breathing, Talford was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-memphis, where he died of complications of COVID-19 and pneumonia, said longtime friend and former Memphis Fire Department Division Chief Larry “Big Mack” Mckissick.
“He went into the hospital and never returned,” Mckissick said, calling Talford his brother. “It hurts. It lets you know how quick things can happen, and lets you know the pandemic is real. When they don’t come home, it’s real.”
Talford — who was born in Grenada, Mississippi, but grew up in Memphis — was a “no-nonsense” professional with an abiding interest in local politics, according to his friends and family. A graduate of Carver High, he served at the Memphis Fire Department for nearly 25 years, and was a member until his death in the Pioneer Black Firefighters association.
In 2004, he retired to lead the Shelby County Management Agency, and then headed the emergency management agency in Lakeland from 2008-2014. For the past six years, he worked at Kellogg in Memphis.
In 2014, he unsuccessfully ran for Shelby County Commission against Commissioner Eddie Jones, who became a good friend of his. Talford’s wife, Jane Venson-talford, said he ran because he loved his community — and especially Whitehaven, their home.
“He just had wonderful relationships, wherever he was,” she said. “He was a protector and defender of Shelby County.”
Venson-talford, who was married to her husband 17 years, also said he was a loving husband and father, and that she and their daughter Ashley were the “apple of his eye.”
“Claude was a gentle giant; very kind, and very loving, and very protective of his family,” Venson-talford said.
His daughter, Ashley Talford, added: “He was a very loving, supportive, No. 1 fan. Just the best of friends. Without him, I don’t know where I would be. He was always saving me from any hurt, harm or danger.”
Another longtime friend and former firefighter, Ron Mitchell, described him as a “solid guy,” and one of the few Black firefighters to reach a high enough rank that his name was added to one of the pieces of equipment at the Memphis Fire Department.
“He’s one of the few that actually has that status, and it’ll be there forever,” Mitchell said.
Former Memphis City Council member Tajuan Stout-mitchell, who is married to Ron Mitchell, recalled how he dropped off a bottle of “Black Girl Magic” wine for her on her birthday Dec. 9. He saw a birthday yard sign from Stout-Mitchell’s Alpha Kappa Alpha sisters in her yard, and wanted the name of the company that made it so he could surprise his wife — who is president of the local Alpha Kappa Alpha chapter — with one on her birthday nine days later.
“He was such a thoughtful guy,” Stout-mitchell said.
Stout-mitchel said Talford’s death is another reminder of just how “real” COVID-19 is, but also of how important it is to get the vaccine into the hands of older people.
“We have lost a sister-in-law and four friends in the last six months,” she said. “We need the vaccines and a well thought-out plan for distribution that is not linked to who you know. Every life has value. Claude’s did.”
Talford is survived by his wife and daughter.
Funeral arrangements were still in the planning stages Friday.