Friends Remembered: Brenda S. Maw

Brenda S. Maw, 70, of Easley, South Carolina, died Saturday, March 5, 2022. In 1982, Maw received the Carnegie Medal for saving a police officer from being shot. Maw, at the time a 30-year-old bank department manager, was held hostage during an armed robbery of her Denver bank on Jan. 12, 1982. An arriving police officer, 38-year-old Edward Brooks, ordered the robber to drop his gun, but the robber instead pointed the barrel at the officer. Seizing the opportunity, Maw grasped the gun with both hands and pushed it away, giving the officer time to seek cover. She was later abducted and threatened by the gunman, but she escaped to safety. Maw was born Oct. 15, 1951, to Ralph Junior Bryant and Mildred Frances Owens Bryant Fricks. She married Paul Maw shortly after she graduated high school in Easley. She worked in banks for her entire career, eventually spending 20 years at Cornerstone National Bank where she became the Vice President of compliance. She was a member of 5 Point Church in Easley. Her favorite thing to do was to spend time with her grandbabies. She loved her family and will be deeply missed by them. Maw is survived by her children, Alisha Johnson and Steven Maw; grandchildren, Seth and Katelyn Thompson and Jaxson Maw; and siblings, Larry Bryant and Kathy Watts. Brenda was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Paul Maw; and sister, Peggy Taylor.