Memorial Thread - COVID-19 Coronavirus

[weepingangel]

Loved and Lost: Martin Addison, 44, adored his two small children and was an avid musician
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“He loved playing the guitar and at times would work on some songs of his own,” she said. “He loved singing and dancing with our 2-year-old and loved interacting, being silly and watching the exciting milestones in our 6-month-old's life.” Addison, 44, died on April 29.

Born in Bath, England, Addison moved to the United States as a child and was raised on Staten Island, where he graduated from Curtis High School in 1993. He graduated from Boston University in 1998 and earned a master's degree from William Paterson University in 2006.

He worked as a speech/language pathologist at St. Joseph's University Medical Center, where he specialized in the evaluation and treatment of dysphagia, the medical term for swallowing difficulties.

He rooted for Liverpool Football Club in the English Premier League as well as the Denver Broncos, the Mets and the University of Connecticut Huskies. Addison was also an avid fan of "Star Wars" and James Bond.

 

[PommyMommy]

AUG 31, 2021
13-year-old boy dies of COVID in Oklahoma, officials say



With dreams of playing football this fall for his middle school, 13-year-old Clarence Johnson III spent the beginning of the school year hospitalized with COVID-19.

Within a week of his hospitalization, the middle schooler known for his bright smile and happy personality died after his battle with the virus, according to his Oklahoma school district.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 12, 2021
Death Row inmate exonerated by DNA and freed from prison dies of COVID-19 - oregonlive.com
Damon Thibodeaux escaped death row when DNA helped exonerate him of a murder he didn’t commit.

Then COVID-19 killed him.

“It’s so unfair,” said Steve Kaplan, a retired Minneapolis attorney who helped free Thibodeaux after he spent 16 years behind bars, 15 of them on death row in Louisiana. “I’m struggling to make peace with it, but you can’t.”

Thibodeaux, who moved to Minnesota to restart his life and eventually settled with his family in Texas, died Sept. 2 of complications from COVID-19. He was 47, but a third of those years were spent behind bars for his wrongful conviction.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 10, 2021
Mom: Galveston County child with COVID who died was funny, sassy | kvue.com
[...]

Karra Harwood said she called 911 today because she was concerned about her infant daughter's breathing.

Harwood told The Galveston County Daily News that her older daughter, 4-year-old Kali Cook, had a fever overnight Tuesday and passed away in her sleep a few hours later.

“She was so funny and sassy,” Kali's mother told the Daily News. “She wasn’t your average little girl. She’d rather play with worms and frogs than wear bows. She was just so pretty and full of life.”

Harwood said she was the first to test positive for COVID on Monday and then Kali and her other children got sick. She now regrets her decision not to get vaccinated.

“I was one of the people that was anti, I was against it,” she said. “Now, I wish I never was.”

[...]

 

[anneg]

SEP 12, 2021
Death Row inmate exonerated by DNA and freed from prison dies of COVID-19 - oregonlive.com
Damon Thibodeaux escaped death row when DNA helped exonerate him of a murder he didn’t commit.

Then COVID-19 killed him.

“It’s so unfair,” said Steve Kaplan, a retired Minneapolis attorney who helped free Thibodeaux after he spent 16 years behind bars, 15 of them on death row in Louisiana. “I’m struggling to make peace with it, but you can’t.”

Thibodeaux, who moved to Minnesota to restart his life and eventually settled with his family in Texas, died Sept. 2 of complications from COVID-19. He was 47, but a third of those years were spent behind bars for his wrongful conviction.

[...]

BBM: It really does seem unfair.

From the article:
In the nine years after he was released from death row, Damon reveled in the joy of living a “normal” life.
[...]
Damon got his first dose of Moderna early last month and then hit the road the next day, delivering freight from Waco, Texas, to Chicago and then New York.

When he reached Florida, the intense pain on his right side was almost unbearable. After dropping a load of freight in Jacksonville on Aug. 10, he went to the hospital, where he collapsed in the emergency room. As he battled COVID and pneumonia in Florida, his 64-year-old mother in Texas fell ill and was rushed to the hospital, where she slowly recovered from COVID.

Damon also began to improve and was told he would be released from the hospital within days. Hours later, doctors and nurses were working furiously to resuscitate him.

RIP, Damon Thibodeaux. Condolences to his family.

 

[weepingangel]

Family and friends remember Decatur High School senior that died from COVID-19
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Tuesday, September 28th 2021
DECATUR, Mich. —
A West Michigan high school student started to feel COVID-19 symptoms. He died one week later.

Giovanni Peña was 18-years-old.

“He liked to touch people’s souls," Juan Peña, Giovanni's brother, said. "He was a really great person; he never did anything bad. He was amazing, always a happy person.”

His loved ones remembered his big personality, and kind and loving heart.

"He’d always look after others and never put himself first. He was always caring," Roberto Ortiz, Giovanni's cousin, said.

Giovanni, a senior at Decatur High School, died from COVID-19 on Sept. 23.

His friends said coming into school just doesn't feel the same without him.

"Coming to school is different. Waking up, knowing our friend is not here with us is crazy," Katrina Hurtago-Orta, a friend, said. "Not seeing his car at school is even crazier."

Loved ones shared stories of how outgoing Giovanni was as a person.

His brother Juan said Giovanni wanted to become an engineer after high school.

"He told me he was happy to graduate, had goals to graduate and goals to play sports his last year," Juan said. "He was ready to go into the real world.”

 

[weepingangel]

Clark County Sheriff's Office Police Corporal Wayne Nicholson dies
more at
A corporal with the Clark County Sheriff's Office has died, the agency announced in a Facebook post Sunday. In a post nearly identical to that shared by the sheriff's office, Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel elaborated and said Corporal Wayne Nicholson's passing was a "line of duty death."

Noel's post was later updated to say Nicholson, 35, died from "line of duty COVID complications." Chief Deputy Scott Maples confirmed to The Courier Journal that Nicholson's cause of death was "complications related to COVID-19."

"Until we meet again, we will continue to honor your legacy," Noel wrote in his post. "Rest easy brother."

Nicholson was a Louisville native and a graduate of Silver Creek High School, according to his obituary. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and other family members and friends

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Woman who survived Spanish flu, world war dies at 105 after contracting Covid (nbcnews.com)

“I think my mother would have been around quite a bit longer if she hadn’t contracted Covid,” Primetta Giacopini's 61-year-old daughter said. “She was a fighter. She had a hard life."

She lived a life of adventure that spanned two continents. She fell in love with a World War II fighter pilot, barely escaped Europe ahead of Benito Mussolini’s fascists, ground steel for the U.S. war effort and advocated for her disabled daughter in a far less enlightened time. She was, her daughter said, someone who didn’t make a habit of giving up.

And then this month, at age 105, Primetta Giacopini’s life ended the way it began — in a pandemic...

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 30, 2021
Child dies of COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County, health dept. says | wcnc.com
[...]

“Ethan was 6 years old. He was very loving, smart,” Snowden-Huff said. “He just made everybody that met him fall in love with him.”

He had a smile that lit up any room.

“His smile was very infectious. Even if you were having a bad day just to see him smile would be like you know what my day is nothing, I’m having a better day now,” his mom said.

According to a page created by Snowden-Huff, even as he fought a very hard battle, that smile never left his face. She didn’t want to talk about how he died.

[...]

 

[weepingangel]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...03a3b2-14b8-11ec-a5e5-ceecb895922f_story.html
So much more at link

Eva Baisey, a nurse from Washington who became one of the longest-livingheart transplant patients in history, died Sept. 12 at 55 — 34 years and 257 days after her surgery.

She died at a hospital in Lanham, Md., of complications from covid-19, said her son, Antonio Baisey.

There are no reliable databases on longevity after heart transplants, but in the medical community, 20 years is considered remarkable. Over 30 is almost unheard of. Ms. Baisey’s life puts her in a rarefied echelon.

 

[weepingangel]

Girl from Suffolk dies from COVID-19 complications
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SUFFOLK, Va. — On Wednesday, the parents of a 10-year-old girl who died as a result of COVID-19 opened up about their daughter's death.

“She had such a caring heart and didn’t want to see anybody hurt and upset and wanted to make sure everybody had a friend," said Teresa Sperry's mother, Nicole.

The parents are struggling to find out how Teresa got the COVID-19 virus and passed away.


“COVID just hurt her heart. It just couldn’t take it. We told them she never had any heart issues," Nicole said.

 

[weepingangel]

Boerne soldier in Texas Guard dies of COVID
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A soldier from Boerne serving in the Texas National Guard has died of COVID-19.

The Guard said Saturday that Sgt. Reggis Madzudzo, 52, was the third Texas guard soldier to die “while experiencing COVID-related symptoms.” Madzudzo died Tuesday at Brooke Army Medical Center.


Madzudzo, a medic, had been assigned to the guard’s Task Force South COVID-19 at the time of his death. The task force supports the state’s Division of Emergency Management in providing vaccinations.

Madzudzo served in the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 1st Texas Infantry of the 36th Infantry Division. The division is headquartered in San Antonio.

Madzudzo joined the Texas Guard in November 2016. He received a number of awards and decorations, including the Armed Forces Service Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Texas Homeland Defense Service Medal, Texas Humanitarian Service Ribbon and New York Humane Service Medal.

 

[weepingangel]

‘A devastating shock’: UNCW student dies due to COVID-19 complications, mother pleads for young people to get vaccinated
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“Two days after he moved in with brand new roommates, he got COVID from them. He was very, very sick for three weeks. He got over COVID but it left him with a horrendous sinus infection that somehow penetrated his brain,” Demello explained. “So he wasn’t even able to go to school on campus. So he never even started except what he was able to do online which is very difficult when you have 102 temperature and you’re vomiting and having everything else unpleasant that comes with COVID.”

Before he got sick, Demello said Tyler was healthy and vibrant, with no pre-existing health conditions. He was studying computer science, loved to wake board, water ski, and snow ski. He was in the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech his freshman year, before COVID shut down classes. He decided to come back to North Carolina, and transferred to UNCW.

When asked what advice she would have for other parents trying to convince their own children to get the vaccine, she said to do whatever it takes.

Demello takes some solace knowing Tyler is an organ donor.

“He will live on in my heart and through those recipients. I know he is with God, but the hole in my life he leaves will never go away. I love you, Son. Rest in peace,” Demello wrote in a Facebook post marking her son’s death.

The family is trying to plan a private family burial, followed by a celebration of Tyler’s life at their church in the next couple of weeks.

 

[weepingangel]

A Charlotte-area firefighter died of COVID-19. A week later, his wife passed away too
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Jeff and Amee Hager leave behind four children, the youngest of whom is just 6 years old.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The family of beloved firefighter Jeffrey Hager already had to deal with losing him to COVID-19. Now, the Hager family is facing another tragic loss to the virus: his wife.

WCNC Charlotte previously reported Jeffrey Hager's passing on Sept. 11. He had served for several years with both the Charlotte Fire Department and the Huntersville Fire Department in recent years. The Huntersville department had previously requested help for the Hager family before Jeffrey's passing.

Just over a week later, his wife Amee also lost her fight against the virus. An update from Amee's parents in a CaringBridge journal on Saturday shared the news.

The entry cites Psalm 34:18 to open it up: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit". Amee's parents say in their post they try to find comfort knowing Jeff and Amee are together again but are heartbroken for the four children they leave behind. Huntersville Fire previously said the children are aged 6, 7, 13, and 14. They were being cared for by family members while their parents were in the hospital.

 

[CrimeAway]

Emmy winning Bridgerton designer (53), dies from Covid.

Bridgerton stylist Marc Pilcher dies of Covid | Daily Mail Online

 

[JerseyGirl]

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has died, Oct 2021 From COVID complications

 

[weepingangel]

‘Forever our friend’: UMass Memorial police officer Loi Ha dies after battling COVID
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UMass Memorial police officer Loi Ha died Thursday after battling COVID-19.

“We will never forget your contagious smile or your love for life,” UMass Memorial Police tweeted. “Forever our friend, our brother, and a beloved member of this department and community.”

“For those of you who don’t have the pleasure of knowing Loi, he is the most loving, kind, and generous person,” “Loi has a laugh that is so contagious you don’t even have to know the joke to laugh along with him. He would do anything for those who are in need, even if that meant giving you the shirt off of his back.”

It said Ha was an Army veteran and served in Iraq. He was also a police officer for UMass Memorial and ”always dreamed of being an officer.”


https://twitter.com/UMM_Police/status/1451569755450707972?s=20

 

[BeachSky]

Fayetteville police Lt Eric Dow dies amid wedding, retirement planning

Kim Burns was supposed to be planning her wedding with Fayetteville Police Department Lt. Eric Dow, but instead, she had to plan his funeral.
After three and a half years together, Burns and Dow, who was 50 years old, were set to be married Oct. 19, but on Oct. 1, everything changed when Dow died of a suspected blood clot while recovering from COVID-19.

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 23, 2021
Pregnant mum, 36, dies from Covid weeks after giving birth (yahoo.com)
[...]

Amanda Perry, 36, from the US state of Tennessee, was hospitalised with coronavirus on September 15 while 32 weeks pregnant, WKRN reports.

Her husband Billy told the station she was having trouble breathing so he rushed her to the emergency room.

Doctors performed an emergency C-section. The boy, named Nolan, survived but her condition worsened.

[...]

Mr Perry said he was able to spend three minutes with his wife and tell her he loved her before she died.

[...]

“She wanted to get vaccinated, but she did not want to risk the pregnancy. She said she was going to get vaxxed after she gave birth, but time ran out.”

[...]

 

[weepingangel]

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article256654672.html

December 17, 2021 A Pennsylvania high school is mourning the loss of one of its own to COVID-19.
Alayna Thach was a 17-year-old senior at Olney Charter High School in Philadelphia. She died this week after contracting the virus a week before,according to media outlets and family.

After contracting the virus, Alayna developed pneumonia and experienced “severe brain damage” from hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen, a *** page says.. Her heart and lungs collapsed, and she also experienced damage to other organs

Alayna was a cheerful teenager who loved to sing and wanted to become a life coach. She was also a straight-A student, a member of her school’s photography club and debate team, and a big fan of the K-Pop group BTS, her obituary said. .

Alayna’s aunt, Hien Yem, said her niece was “the most caring child ever” and “such a bright young lady,” CBS Philadelphia reported.

Hien also told CBS Philadelphia that her niece’s case seemed pretty mild at first.

“She was fine,” Hien said. “She was, like, alert. She was communicating with me with no clear respiratory issues and she was walking around.”

Hien urged others to get vaccinated -- Alayna’s parents are both fully vaccinated, and Alayna was scheduled to get her vaccine in January, CBS reported.

The school’s principal, James O. Thompson Sr., addressed Alayna’s passing in a statement to the school’s community, Fox 29 reported.

“We know that this loss will be felt deeply by both staff and students and this loss will be felt long after today and for many more days to come,” Thompson said in the statement. “We also know that the school needs time and space to grieve and as such we are ensuring that the counseling and psychological services staff is available throughout this week to support any who need it.”

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health also expressed its condolences to Alayna’s family and friends in a statement.

“We were saddened to learn that a Philadelphia child has died from COVID-19,” the statement said. “Every life lost to this pandemic has been a tragedy, but hearing that this terrible disease may have taken someone so young is heartbreaking.”

Alayna’s funeral services will be held on Dec. 18.