Althea L. Buafo

ALTHEA L. BUAFO, 48, born in London, England passed away from cancer at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. At the time of her death, she was surrounded by her devoted family and closest friends. Althea is survived by her loving parents, Dr. Charles K. Buafo and Shirley M. Buafo, her loving life partner, Gina Gonzalez, and her children, Hunter Buafo, Desiree Buafo and Christian Rivero. With her signature "mohawk" dreadlocks, a smile that lit up the room, and her intense charismatic presence, Althea will always be remembered as one of the most colorful individuals in the Macon area. She was also widely known as one of the leading criminal defense attorneys in the southeast. Coming from humble beginnings, Althea's achievements were many and those who had the honor of knowing her in any capacity will never forget her. Althea has been a Court TV commentator and a frequent lecturer for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. She has also served as Chair of the State Bar Disciplinary Panel Review Board, Vice President of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and as Special Prosecutor for the Judicial Qualifications Commission. She was a Member At Large of the Board of Governors for the Macon Circuit Post 1 from 2002 through 2005 where she served on both the Indigent Defense and Judicial Procedure and Administration Committees. She also previously served as General Counsel for the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce and appeared in the 2005 edition of National Super Lawyers. She served for a number of years as a part-time Macon Municipal Court Judge. Most notably, she had the distinctive honor this year of being inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. Althea received her B.A. Degree from Eckerd College in 1983 and her Juris Doctorate from Mercer University in 1987. Despite these vast accomplishments, Althea always took the time to help those in need, champion the underdog, and she devoted her life to "fighting the good fight." As fierce as she was in the courtroom, she was equally as loving and devoted to her family and friends and she was tremendously proud of her Jamaican and African heritage. Anyone who knew Althea also knew of her tremendous love for music, especially the reggae of her idol, Bob Marley, who she is smiling with now. This love of music translated into her serving as a weekend DJ for numerous parties, weddings and other occasions, and she pleased many crowds with her music mixes. Althea fought her long and last battle with the same strength and fearlessness as she fought her cases. Sadly, she finally met the one adversary that she couldn't beat; brain cancer. She will forever live on in the hearts of all of those who loved her. Services will be held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 830 Poplar Street, Macon, Georgia 31201 on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. There will be a Holy Rosary at Hart's Mortuary on Friday evening at 6:30 p.m., 765 Cherry Street, Macon, Georgia 31201. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hepzibah Children's Home at www.hepzibah.com in memory of Althea Buafo. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.hartsmort.com. Arrangements for the family are in the care of Hart's Mortuary and Crematory, Cherry Street.