Lineman FaceTimed daughter, 4, to wish her goodnight as she cleans up debris from the Georgia tornado

A father who died last week when storms gripped Georgia used his last moments to FaceTime his 4-year-old daughter, photos and stories from his family show.

Lineman Jesse Maxwell was one of three who died Friday after tornadoes and storms ripped through the north central parts of the state, triggering a state of emergency.

The 32-year-old power line worker was tasked with removing downed trees to restore power to people in his home county of Jasper, and died when a falling tree limb struck him on the back of the head. the police said.

Deployed to the storm-ravaged community, located 60 miles from Atlanta, Maxwell is now being mourned by his loved ones — his wife, 11-year-old son and three daughters — who were left “devastated” by the loss.

Posts by Maxwell’s widow, Hope, show how the The last few minutes were spent talking to her youngest daughter before bed, something the youngster looked forward to during her father’s long shifts, the mother said.

“River isn’t used to not having her dad home at bedtime,” Hope Maxwell posted Friday night, sharing a screenshot of the father and daughter’s final video call.

“Of course she has to sleep in one of their nightgowns tonight so they can match,” the post continues.

‘Thank you for working so hard baby and for being so selfless.’

You can still see posts wishing the family luck before news of Maxwell’s death breaks.

Moments after hanging up, police said, Maxwell met his fate and was struck by a falling branch. The Maxwells would wake up the next day to hear the unimaginable.

Two others, a 5-year-old boy in nearby Butts County and a state sanitation worker in northern Walker County, also died as a result of the tumultuous storms.

On Saturday, after the news spread, the family released a statement expressing their distress, remembering Maxell as ‘an amazing father and husband who took his family to Relevant Church in Locust Grove every Sunday.’

The publication added that Maxwell loved deer hunting with 11-year-old Lucas, but “he was also an incredible father to his three daughters”: Lorynn, 7, Maddie, 6, and River, the youngest.

“If she wasn’t coaching her softball games, she was always in the stands supporting her kids,” the tribute said.

“From throwing the ball around the yard to making art on the kitchen table, Jesse was there.”

The statement added that Maxwell had been a “dedicated” husband to his wife Hope, and that he will be fondly remembered for “his love for her and their children.”

“Jesse is best known for his bad jokes and making people laugh,” the family wrote. “He loved his work and had a passion for helping people.”

The family has since set up a GoFundMe page to help offset funeral costs and other expenses likely to arise from the unexpected death of the father of four.

Social media photos of the Maxwells show the family in happier times, with Maxwell in most of them, almost always with one or all of his children.

The pictures also show the family’s love of hunting, as well as their home on several acres of scenic farmland.

Maxwell’s family said over the weekend that they are “heartbroken” after the loss, as Maxwell was further remembered as “a man of God” and “amazing husband” by friends on social media.

“The love I had for them was truly unique,” a friend wrote in a Facebook post. “He was also a great friend and is already missed by many.”

Meanwhile, Hope added: ‘I need you more than you’ll ever know. But I know you’re kidding with Jesus. You will always be my hero and I will love you until my last breath.

heartbreak comes What Severe storms moved across much of Georgia on Thursday, bringing with them tornadoes and high-speed winds.

Most of the state was affected by thunderstorms, which in recent years have been increasingly common in the Peach State, a place not normally associated with tornadoes.

That being said, tornadoes can strike anywhere in the state during any time of the year, experts warn, and typically occur no more than six days a year.

However, the annual average number of tornadoes reported has increased over the decades, from 15 for the 20-year period of 1980-1999 to 20 for 2000-2019.

Experts attribute the increase to a confluence of increasing tornado activity and better means of reporting them, including better technology and video-equipped smartphones.

Pam Knox, director of the University of Georgia Weather Network, warns that storms could increase in the coming months, when tornadoes in Georgia are more common.

“There are really two spikes of when they’re most likely, with the biggest one in the spring, like the March through May period,” Knox said.

“And then we have a secondary peak in the fall around November, which is just due to the way the fronts are moving north and south across the United States.

“But we’ve had tornadoes every month of the year, and they’ve been deadly every month of the year.”

She warned: “And it can happen at any time of the day or night as well, although we tend to get more of them in the afternoon or evening just because we’ve had the heat of the day to really pack on those storms.”