It is hard to deny Danny McAfee’s devotion to his community.

Cullman Economic Development Agency director Dale Greer said one of McAfee’s most admirable qualities was his humility and his capability to set aside his personal interests in favor of what he felt was in the community’s best interest.

When McAfee passed away after suffering a medical emergency while vacationing in Europe earlier this week, Cullman County lost a leader and a visionary who has been instrumental in creating a community which everyone can enjoy.

Despite that McAfee was never elected into a public office, his life was the embodiment of what community leaders and public servants should aspire to become. This isn’t to say McAfee lived his life hidden away from the public eye — he was an active member of a number of public boards including the Cullman Regional Medical Center Foundation Board, the Downtown Design and Review Board, the City Architectural Review Committee, the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce Board (he received the organization’s Emma Marie Eddleman Citizenship Award in 2015), the Farmer’s Market Board and the Cullman Industrial Development Board — but that he contributed to the lives of everyone within the Cullman community in much more tangible ways.

McAfee, who was vice-president of Cullman Cabinet, said his father-in-law, company founder Robert Edge, became his primary example for the importance of hard work and perseverance. He spoke to The Times about that relationship in 2017.

“I know my father in-law probably had as much influence on my life as anyone did, simply because he taught me how to work, and he taught me to keep on digging — to just hang in there. He would keep on and on, if he had a goal in mind. He would work at it, and never give up. He taught me that, among many other things,” said McAfee.

This lesson in persistence would be vital during McAfee’s term as chairman of the CRMC Foundation’s Refresh-A-Room campaign which delivered renovations and upgrades to patient rooms and waiting areas. In 2013, McAfee and his wife Deborah, personally contributed to the project by enabling the City of Cullman to purchase the property Evelyn Burrow, Deborah’s aunt. When awarding the couple the 2013 Lions Club Chester Freeman award, Jim Howard said all funds from the sale of the Burrow property were poured back into the community with a robust contribution designated for the Refresh-A-Room campaign.

McAfee also had the foresight to recognize the city of Cullman’s downtown warehouse district as the valuable asset it has become. While being interviewed as The Times 2017 Distinguished Citizen of the Year, he said, “I think we really have got to stay focused on downtown. I think that’s a kind of rarity, what you see right here in Cullman. To drive through, and see it as vibrant as it is — and still improving all the time — I think if we stay focused on that, we can grow outwards, which is a good thing.”

While this may seem like an easy stance to take after the downtown area has become the default venue for a number of the city’s largest festivals and a calling card for community-based tourism, McAfee was one of the area’s earliest investors. He and Deborah purchased the three lots on the North end of the district in 2000, and two years later purchased five additional units on the opposite end. At the time, the buildings were in a state of disarray with a tree growing through the floor in one on the South ends of the block and the three Northern most building needing to be demolished. McAfee payed careful attention to the surrounding architecture during the construction of what has become known as “The Rotunda” and said the highest compliment he received was when a patron said they had done a good job “renovating the old building.”

McAfee’s love and appreciation for the Cullman community can be found in the fingerprints he has left scattered throughout the city. Cullman Economic Development Agency director Dale Greer said the conference tables in his office were handcrafted by McAfee at Cullman Cabinet. McAfee and Deborah both worked closely with Alabama Senator Garlan Gudger to design and create the copper bar in the Top of the Town venue which sits above Cullman Savings Bank. Gudger said this was just one of the many carpentry projects he and McAfee worked on together throughout the years and described the man as one of integrity who “everyone could count on.”

“He was a pillar of character and strength for Cullman County. I will miss my friend greatly,” Gudger said.

Greer said even the mallet he used to tap the keg during his recent stint as Burgermeister for the 2023 Oktoberfest was one of McAfee’s creations.

“Nathan [Anderson, Cullman Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism director] thought we needed something hand crafted by Danny McAfee … Nathan was going to have him make one every year and we were going to have the Burgermeister sign it and put the number of taps it took and all that. I’ve got mine sitting here in my office and I just called Nathan and told him I wanted to keep it, but he said no that they were going to put it in a museum,” Greer said.

Greer recalled when McAfee told him how he would be stepping down as member of the industrial development board despite Greer’s objections.

“A few years ago he told me he was going to be retiring from the board and I told him I wished he wouldn’t do that because I relied on him. He was logical and a good thinker who gave great guidance and advice. But, he said, ‘Dale there are a lot of older members on that board who have a lot of knowledge, but you’re going to lose that if you don’t bring some younger members on and let them start learning through those experiences, knowledge and backgrounds,’ and he did that. He just stepped aside because he thought it was in the best interest of the board and the community to have some younger people become more involved.”

McAfee’s habit of passing down knowledge through experiences was evident in his home as well. Despite his crowded civic schedule, McAfee would always find time to devote to his three daughters, Amy, Joy and Kelly, as well as his grandchildren.

“My dad was always proud of us, no matter what. He went to countless long dances and baton recitals when we were young, and still does. He was at a baton recital {last Saturday night} for his granddaughter,” Joy told The Times in 2014.

McAfee would often devote time to his family by silencing the family phone in order to lead the household in prayer, allowing each member to share what was currently happening in their lives. He would regularly orchestrate adventures he would take with his daughters whether it be camping excursions, trips to see the bright lights of New York City or to explore the Amazon rainforest where they would have their cereal bars stolen by a particularly mischievous monkey.

“We were able to see so many places through his eyes — to appreciate the glory of sunsets and the beauty of mountains. My dad gave us his time. He was always patient with the three of us. He is the standard of what it means to be a husband and a father. We are three blessed girls,” Joy said in 2014.

For McAfee, Cullman was a mirror of the community he built within his own home. A place that made you want to be a part of it, a place you wanted to raise your family and a place where you also wanted to pass along an appreciation for the glory of sunsets. That was McAfee’s vision for the Cullman community, and he spent his life making that vision a reality.

“That’s what we have in Cullman. We have the kind of community that, when other people find out about it, they want to find out more. They want to be a part of it. It’s good for those of us who live here … it’s good for us to recognize that,” he said in 2017.