Memorial Thread - COVID-19 Coronavirus

[Lmustang89]

Married for nearly 50 years, Jackson couple die of COVID seconds apart (detroitnews.com)

Jackson — During their marriage of nearly 50 years, Patricia and Leslie "L.D." McWaters bowled together, danced together — and after they contracted the COVID virus, they took an ambulance to the hospital together, and then died together.

The couple died seconds apart on Nov. 24 in Henry Ford Allegiance Hospital in Jackson. She was 78; he was 75.

"The time on both of their death certificates is 4:23 p.m., because (the difference) was too close to call," said daughter Joanna Sisk. "It's like they met right after they died and went up to heaven together."...

I saw this on my local news last night. So sad. My son's dad has Covid and is trying to recover at home.

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 3, 2020
COVID-19 claims 4 Oklahoma siblings in three weeks | WCYB
A family is mourning the loss of four siblings from complications with COVID-19.

The Annuschat family is known across Oklahoma; their roots are deeply embedded in the agricultural community.

"We went from being one of the biggest families in Kingfisher County all of our lives, to in three weeks being a mediocre-size family,” said Larry Annuschat, the last surviving brother.

Ron, Paul, Nick, and Vicki passed away between Oct. 30 and Nov. 17.

[...]

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Former Alabama senator dies of Covid at age 78, and in his last words warns, 'We messed up'

“We let our guards down. Please tell everybody to be careful. This is real, and if you get diagnosed, get help immediately,” former Sen. Larry Dixon said.

A former Alabama state senator died of Covid-19 last week at age 78, officials said.

Former Sen. Larry Dixon, a Republican who also served as the executive director of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, died from Covid-19 on Dec. 4, the board said in a statement on Friday.

Dr. David Thrasher, a close friend of Dixon and a pulmonologist in Montgomery, told NBC News that Dixon's wife, Gaynell Dixon, told Thrasher that his last words to her were a prescient warning to the people of Alabama...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Metro Detroit mother dies from COVID-19 days after giving birth (clickondetroit.com)

Family says the 33-year-old mother started having symptoms 4 weeks before giving birth

DETROIT – A family from Metro Detroit and California mourns the loss of a mother who died from COVID-19 after giving birth to her son.

“She is going to leave a big void,” said Miguel Avilez, who lost his sister, 33-year-old Erika Becerra. “For us, her name means ‘Joy’ because she brought joy to everybody. No matter who you were, stranger, family member, she would bring joy to you.”

Becerra was four weeks from giving birth to her second child when she started feeling symptoms of COVID-19. At Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, they made the call to induce her labor, and on Nov. 15, baby Diego Antonio was born...

 

[anneg]

Metro Detroit mother dies from COVID-19 days after giving birth (clickondetroit.com)

Family says the 33-year-old mother started having symptoms 4 weeks before giving birth

DETROIT – A family from Metro Detroit and California mourns the loss of a mother who died from COVID-19 after giving birth to her son.

“She is going to leave a big void,” said Miguel Avilez, who lost his sister, 33-year-old Erika Becerra. “For us, her name means ‘Joy’ because she brought joy to everybody. No matter who you were, stranger, family member, she would bring joy to you.”

Becerra was four weeks from giving birth to her second child when she started feeling symptoms of COVID-19. At Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, they made the call to induce her labor, and on Nov. 15, baby Diego Antonio was born...

The story says she had no underlying conditions. I made the mistake of scrolling down to the comments and .... well, you know.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

The story says she had no underlying conditions. I made the mistake of scrolling down to the comments and .... well, you know.

Here is another report about the mother:
A mother couldn't wait to welcome her second child. Covid-19 killed her before she got to hold the baby. (nbcnews.com)

 

[anneg]

Here is another report about the mother:
A mother couldn't wait to welcome her second child. Covid-19 killed her before she got to hold the baby. (nbcnews.com)

Such a sad story. Her little daughter and her newborn son have been deprived of their mother's love and care.

Your link included the following information about the risk of severe illness in pregnant women with Covid:

Deaths of pregnant women due to Covid-19 are uncommon, but not unheard of, said Dr. Stephanie Gaw, an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California at San Francisco.

“We know that most have very mild cases or asymptomatic cases that don’t require hospitalization,” she said. “But we also know that if you do require hospitalization for Covid, you’re more likely to get very sick, and sicker compared to if you weren’t pregnant compared to women of the same age.”

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added pregnancy to a list of conditions that carry a higher chance of severe or fatal complications from Covid-19, based on a large study of pregnant women that found that they faced a 70 percent increased risk of death compared to symptomatic women who were not pregnant.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Five days after she was supposed to get married, woman dies from Covid (nbcnews.com)

"That was just her mindset: You can do something to help. If you are willing to look for it," Stephanie Lynn Smith's fiancé said.

Stephanie Lynn Smith and Jamie Bassett were looking forward to getting married Nov. 13.

They had planned for Smith's older brother to officiate the wedding in front of their parents at a scaled-down ceremony in a field in Lubbock, Texas, where Bassett had proposed. Bassett said they had favored the location, which he believes is an abandoned golf course.

But the couple did not marry. Smith spent her wedding day in a hospital where she had tested positive for the coronavirus and was diagnosed with pneumonia...

 

[anneg]

Five days after she was supposed to get married, woman dies from Covid (nbcnews.com)

"That was just her mindset: You can do something to help. If you are willing to look for it," Stephanie Lynn Smith's fiancé said.

Stephanie Lynn Smith and Jamie Bassett were looking forward to getting married Nov. 13.

They had planned for Smith's older brother to officiate the wedding in front of their parents at a scaled-down ceremony in a field in Lubbock, Texas, where Bassett had proposed. Bassett said they had favored the location, which he believes is an abandoned golf course.

But the couple did not marry. Smith spent her wedding day in a hospital where she had tested positive for the coronavirus and was diagnosed with pneumonia...

Another very sad story...

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 9, 2020
Flagler Palm Coast principal dies after fight with COVID-19 (fox35orlando.com)
[...]

Flagler Palm Coast High School announced that Principal Tom Russell tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, November 16, and had been in quarantine since November 9.

"So far this is a mild case of COVID-19 if there is such a thing. Allow me to be blunt this is nothing like the flu! Covid wrecks the body in so many ways and never the same way twice," Russell wrote in a Facebook post. "These are the symptoms that I have experienced: fever, chills, painful cramps, loss of breath, extreme fatigue, sore throat, excessive coughing, headaches, a loss of focus, problems communicating when speaking. I never had a flu act in this way."

[...]

 

[weepingangel]

Local nurse dies from COVID-19; leaves behind 7 children, friends and co-workers say
Local nurse dies from COVID-19; leaves behind 7 children, friends and co-workers say

By: Sean Cudahy
Updated: December 9, 2020 - 11:01 PM
MIAMI VALLEY — Tawauna Averette was someone who took COVID-19 guidelines as seriously as anyone, her longtime friend Kellye Albes-Fisher said.

“If there was anyone who followed every rule, it was her,” she said.

And yet, like a quickly-increasing number of Ohioans, in recent weeks Averette caught, and died from, COVID-19, friends tell News Center 7.

Content Continues Below
In an interview with News Center 7′s Sean Cudahy Wednesday evening, Albes-Fisher and Averette’s other friend and former nursing colleague, Carletha Pointer, said Averette died in recent days after a lengthy battle with coronavirus, leaving behind a husband and seven children – the youngest of which, born during her stay in the hospital.

“Devastating,” Albes-Fisher said to describe the loss.

“You feel cheated,” Pointer offered.

According to the friends, Averette contracted COVID-19 earlier this fall. After checking into the hospital with worsening symptoms, they said doctors elected to perform an emergency c-section on Averette’s infant daughter; a delivery that, tragically, would prove to be the only time she was with her youngest child, they said.

“(Nurses) took the baby out of the room – that was it,” Albes-Fisher said. “She never got to bond, hold (the infant), anything.” “She got a couple pictures, videos, hoping she would get out. It didn’t work that way.”

Throughout most of her weeks-long hospital stay, Averette posted about her coronavirus battle on her Facebook profile – confirmed to WHIO.

On Nov. 6, she wrote, “Y’all don’t understand what it means to not hug and kiss your kids until you can’t.”

On Nov. 14, days after asking for prayers, she wrote, “God heard you…they took me off the ventilator today about 5:30…please continue to send up prayers.”

“She would call us in the middle of the night, fighting, fighting,”Albes-Fisher said.

But ultimately, Averette’s condition would again worsen, with complications from COVID-19 claiming her life.

In a statement to WHIO Wednesday, Kettering Health Network said, “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Tawauna Averette. She was a beloved and valued member of our Kettering Health Network team, and our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends in this time of loss.”

It’s a loss Averette’s friends told News Center 7, many in the community will feel.

“She was loved by many and will be missed by many,” Pointer said.

Averette’s friends added, they hope this loss inspires others in the community still skeptical on COVID-19 health guidelines to follow them more closely.

Pointer revealed what she believes Averette would tell others.

“To mask up. And if you don’t want it to protect yourself, protect others.”

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 12, 2020
Charley Pride, a country music Black superstar, dies at 86 (apnews.com)

[...]

“I’m so heartbroken that one of my dearest and oldest friends, Charley Pride, has passed away. It’s even worse to know that he passed away from COVID-19. What a horrible, horrible virus. Charley, we will always love you,” Dolly Parton tweeted.

Pride released dozens of albums and sold more than 25 million records during a career that began in the mid-1960s. Hits besides “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” in 1971 included “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” “Burgers and Fries,” “Mountain of Love,” and “Someone Loves You Honey.”

[...]

He received the Living Legend award from The Nashville Network/Music City News, recognizing 30 years of achievement, in 1997.

“I’d like to be remembered as a good person who tried to be a good entertainer and made people happy, was a good American who paid his taxes and made a good living,” he said in 1985. “I tried to do my best and contribute my part.”

[...]

 

[weepingangel]

Actress Carol Sutton dies of Covid-19 - CNN

Actress Carol Sutton died Friday at age 76 of Covid-19 complications, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.

The New Orleans native built an extensive list of credits, including "Steel Magnolias," "Queen Sugar," and "Lovecraft Country," according to her IMDb page.
Cantrell praised Sutton, saying she "was practically the Queen of New Orleans theater, having graced the stages across the city for decades."
"The world may recognize her from her performances in movies and on TV -- whether it's 'Treme' or 'Claws,' or 'Runaway Jury' or 'Queen Sugar' -- but we will always remember her commanding stage presence, her richly portrayed characters, and the warm heart she shared with her fellow cast and crew in productions such as '4000 Miles' and 'A Raisin in the Sun.' May she rest in God's perfect peace," Cantrell said.

 

[weepingangel]

York County EMT worker dies from coronavirus three weeks after contracting it

Doug Dzubinski wrapped his life around helping others. An EMT in York County for more than 30 years, he'd rise from bed at midnight to take an extra shift at work, if needed.

Dzubinski died Dec. 4 after a three-week battle with the coronavirus. He was 53.

"It takes a lot to do that job. It takes a lot to do that job for a long time. Every day, you're seeing people at their worst moment," His boss, Barry Albertson, chief of EMS for Community LifeTeam, Pinnacle UPMC Of said. "He was a great EMT, very caring, compassionate to his patients."

The man Penny Dzubinski married 28 years ago doesn't really fit into a photo or a sentence. He treated her like a queen, she said Monday morning through tears. They went on adventures together, like cruises, and he shared with her his great love: scuba diving. He was a volunteer scuba diver at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

Doug and Penny Dzubinski had been married for 28 years. They were adventurers and travelers together, and Doug was a lifelong emergency services worker. Doug died Dec. 4 after a three-week battle with COVID-19.

He was the stepfather to Penny's daughter, Bryanne, who was born with cerebral palsy. He would encourage her to avoid the phrase, "I can't do that." When they skied together, Bryanne would ski between her stepdad's legs. When they all went to the Twin Peaks in San Francisco, Bryanne couldn't overcome the high summit, so Dzubinski carried her.

He's the man a wife cherishes every minute she possibly can, and that's what Penny did. When he took his last breath on Dec. 4, she was holding his hand.

Penny doesn't know how her husband contracted the virus, but they both had it. Penny's was more like a head cold, she said, but her husband's illness continually worsened until he told her one night that he was having trouble breathing.

Even while in the hospital, he called her several times a day. In the evening, he'd eat his supper at 5, so she would too, then they watched a film together while staying connected on FaceTime. They called it "dinner and a movie."

He knew the survival rate for ventilated patients wasn't high, so he begged the hospital to give him one more day, just one more day, before being put on the breathing appliance, Penny said.

In his final week, doctors ventilated him and put him into an induced coma, Penny said. The couple who had just celebrated their wedding anniversary on Sept. 5 didn't speak again, but because she had tested positive for the virus and passed the contagion mark, Penny was allowed to go into the hospital for his final hour.

The doctor at UPMC Harrisburg cried with Penny after he died.

"She goes, 'I have only had your husband for four hours, and in those four hours, he could not talk to me, but there was just something about his aura that just touched my heart,'" Penny said.

This was the man who couldn't refuse a shift at work because he feared someone in an emergency would need help, and he needed to be there. He had been a junior firefighter as a teenager and became an EMT a couple of years later.

"He would do whatever was needed," Penny said. "If it was putting himself in harm's way, he didn't care. He just lived to help people."

"Doug was the kind of a guy who did every task well and to the best of his ability. He encouraged his fellow firefighters to be the best they can be," said Dan Orwig, deputy chief of Laurel Fire Company in Windsor.

Dzubinski was, among other roles, the emergency services coordinator for Windsor borough.

"Doug will be sorely missed by us all," Orwig said. "RIP Doug, we thank you for your service, expertise, and friendship over the years. We have it from here."

 

[anneg]

York County EMT worker dies from coronavirus three weeks after contracting it

Doug Dzubinski wrapped his life around helping others. An EMT in York County for more than 30 years, he'd rise from bed at midnight to take an extra shift at work, if needed.

Dzubinski died Dec. 4 after a three-week battle with the coronavirus. He was 53.

"It takes a lot to do that job. It takes a lot to do that job for a long time. Every day, you're seeing people at their worst moment," His boss, Barry Albertson, chief of EMS for Community LifeTeam, Pinnacle UPMC Of said. "He was a great EMT, very caring, compassionate to his patients."

The man Penny Dzubinski married 28 years ago doesn't really fit into a photo or a sentence. He treated her like a queen, she said Monday morning through tears. They went on adventures together, like cruises, and he shared with her his great love: scuba diving. He was a volunteer scuba diver at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

Doug and Penny Dzubinski had been married for 28 years. They were adventurers and travelers together, and Doug was a lifelong emergency services worker. Doug died Dec. 4 after a three-week battle with COVID-19.

He was the stepfather to Penny's daughter, Bryanne, who was born with cerebral palsy. He would encourage her to avoid the phrase, "I can't do that." When they skied together, Bryanne would ski between her stepdad's legs. When they all went to the Twin Peaks in San Francisco, Bryanne couldn't overcome the high summit, so Dzubinski carried her.

He's the man a wife cherishes every minute she possibly can, and that's what Penny did. When he took his last breath on Dec. 4, she was holding his hand.

Penny doesn't know how her husband contracted the virus, but they both had it. Penny's was more like a head cold, she said, but her husband's illness continually worsened until he told her one night that he was having trouble breathing.

Even while in the hospital, he called her several times a day. In the evening, he'd eat his supper at 5, so she would too, then they watched a film together while staying connected on FaceTime. They called it "dinner and a movie."

He knew the survival rate for ventilated patients wasn't high, so he begged the hospital to give him one more day, just one more day, before being put on the breathing appliance, Penny said.

In his final week, doctors ventilated him and put him into an induced coma, Penny said. The couple who had just celebrated their wedding anniversary on Sept. 5 didn't speak again, but because she had tested positive for the virus and passed the contagion mark, Penny was allowed to go into the hospital for his final hour.

The doctor at UPMC Harrisburg cried with Penny after he died.

"She goes, 'I have only had your husband for four hours, and in those four hours, he could not talk to me, but there was just something about his aura that just touched my heart,'" Penny said.

This was the man who couldn't refuse a shift at work because he feared someone in an emergency would need help, and he needed to be there. He had been a junior firefighter as a teenager and became an EMT a couple of years later.

"He would do whatever was needed," Penny said. "If it was putting himself in harm's way, he didn't care. He just lived to help people."

"Doug was the kind of a guy who did every task well and to the best of his ability. He encouraged his fellow firefighters to be the best they can be," said Dan Orwig, deputy chief of Laurel Fire Company in Windsor.

Dzubinski was, among other roles, the emergency services coordinator for Windsor borough.

"Doug will be sorely missed by us all," Orwig said. "RIP Doug, we thank you for your service, expertise, and friendship over the years. We have it from here."

A tragic loss. This is such a cruel virus.

 

[weepingangel]

Lives Remembered

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Texas couple of 30 years die of Covid-19 within minutes of each other while holding hands (nbcnews.com)

“It did give us some sense of closure that they both went together," one of their sons said.

A Texas couple married for 30 years who were hospitalized with Covid-19 were holding hands as they both died on Sunday, their family says.

Paul Blackwell, 61, and Rosemary Blackwell, 65 — longtime educators of Grand Prairie Independent School District — died just minutes apart at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, two of their sons told NBC News.

The couple contracted the virus nearly a week before Thanksgiving. “It really took a toll on them pretty quickly,” son Shawn Blackwell said of his parents after they began exhibiting symptoms...

 

[anneg]

Texas couple of 30 years die of Covid-19 within minutes of each other while holding hands (nbcnews.com)

“It did give us some sense of closure that they both went together," one of their sons said.

A Texas couple married for 30 years who were hospitalized with Covid-19 were holding hands as they both died on Sunday, their family says.

Paul Blackwell, 61, and Rosemary Blackwell, 65 — longtime educators of Grand Prairie Independent School District — died just minutes apart at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, two of their sons told NBC News.

The couple contracted the virus nearly a week before Thanksgiving. “It really took a toll on them pretty quickly,” son Shawn Blackwell said of his parents after they began exhibiting symptoms...

Sigh. A tragic loss.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Wayne Co. Sheriff Benny Napoleon dies after contracting COVID-19 (detroitnews.com)

The Sheriff's Office announced his death early Friday.

"Having conducted the heartbreaking task of lowering the flag at headquarters, it is with exteme sadness that we announce the passing of Sheriff Benny N. Napoleon," said spokeswoman Paula Bridges.

"Sheriff Napoleon was nationally recognized as an expert in law enforcement after more than 45 years of dedicated service. While he was tough on crime, he was beloved throughout the region for is compassion, faith and deep sense of community."

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy was among many officials paying their respects late Thursday night...

 

[ilovewings]

Wayne Co. Sheriff Benny Napoleon dies after contracting COVID-19 (detroitnews.com)

The Sheriff's Office announced his death early Friday.

"Having conducted the heartbreaking task of lowering the flag at headquarters, it is with exteme sadness that we announce the passing of Sheriff Benny N. Napoleon," said spokeswoman Paula Bridges.

"Sheriff Napoleon was nationally recognized as an expert in law enforcement after more than 45 years of dedicated service. While he was tough on crime, he was beloved throughout the region for is compassion, faith and deep sense of community."

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy was among many officials paying their respects late Thursday night...

It is very sad: I think he was a pretty decent guy and respected throughout law enforcement - he was on a vent for three weeks---