Memorial Thread - COVID-19 Coronavirus

[anneg]

In December, we lost two friends to COVID (one in his late 50's, one in his 60's). This month, already, my son's boss's FIL died from COVID and another friend's 19 yo son committed suicide (don't know if this was COVID-related or not). Another friend lost a 23-yo son to an accident. A lady in my church died from a sudden heart attack. I have been overwhelmed at the death notices and sending sympathy cards. It is indeed a rough month around here.

Sally, I'm so sorry for all these losses in your circle. That is very rough indeed. The deaths of the two young men are especially heartbreaking to me, because I have two grandsons around those ages, but all the losses are sad. Prayers for you and for the families of those who died.

 

[sallye818]

Thank you, Anneg. Since I posted that message, my DIL's 24 yo brother died. I only know it was heart-related, not much else. I also have sons these ages, and it has really gotten to me. All the loss is heartbreaking, and I hurt for all these families.

 

[anneg]

Thank you, Anneg. Since I posted that message, my DIL's 24 yo brother died. I only know it was heart-related, not much else. I also have sons these ages, and it has really gotten to me. All the loss is heartbreaking, and I hurt for all these families.

(((hugs)))

 

[abeaman02]

Thank you, Anneg. Since I posted that message, my DIL's 24 yo brother died. I only know it was heart-related, not much else. I also have sons these ages, and it has really gotten to me. All the loss is heartbreaking, and I hurt for all these families.

I am so sorry to hear of all the losses you have had to withstand. Sending a big hug your way

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Captain Sir Tom Moore dies aged 100 after contracting coronavirus and pneumonia

He became a national treasure and a household name after raising more than £32m for the health service by walking 100 laps of his garden with his zimmer frame - and was knighted for his fundraising efforts by the Queen at Windsor Castle last July.

Captain Tom - Wikipedia

May he RIP

 

[weepingangel]

As the pandemic rages on, finding ways to mourn and remember

 

[weepingangel]

Father in Alabama diagnosed with COVID variant passes away
more at link
The wife of Alfonzia Jackson Jr., the Jefferson County man with the COVID variant, announced Tuesday night that he has passed away.

Ashley Jackson posted the heartbreaking news on her Facebook page around 9 p.m. In her post, she says, “Lord this day has been hard.” She also added a video of her family and their memories

 

[itsreenw]

My husband, Sgt. Virgil Thomas, Richmond Ca PD contracted Covid while responding to a call in July 2020. He traded his badge for wings on August 20, 2020.

 

[weepingangel]

@itsreenw I’m so very sorry for your loss

hope adding this link which includes a few pics is ok Sergeant Virgil Thomas

My husband, Sgt. Virgil Thomas, Richmond Ca PD contracted Covid while responding to a call in July 2020. He traded his badge for wings on August 20, 2020.

 

[anneg]

My husband, Sgt. Virgil Thomas, Richmond Ca PD contracted Covid while responding to a call in July 2020. He traded his badge for wings on August 20, 2020.

I'm so sorry. What a heartbreaking loss. I'm praying for you and your family.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

U.S. Rep. Ron Wright of Texas dies after being hospitalized for Covid-19 (nbcnews.com)

Wright, who was 67, had also been battling cancer.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Ron Wright, R-Texas, died Sunday after being hospitalized for Covid-19, his office said Monday.

Wright had also been battling cancer.

“Congressman Ron Wright passed away peacefully at the age of 67,” his office said in a statement Monday. It added, “For the previous two weeks, Ron and [his wife] Susan had been admitted to Baylor Hospital in Dallas after contracting Covid-19."

A spokesman told NBC News that Wright, "passed away from health complications following his COVID-19 diagnosis.”...

 

[weepingangel]

NBA reporter Sekou Smith, who died of COVID-19 at 48, is remembered for his kindness
much more at link
Sekou Smith, a longtime NBA reporter and analyst, died Tuesday of complications from COVID-19, devastating the community of coaches, players and reporters who had known him for years.

"We are all heartbroken over Sekou's tragic passing," Turner Sports, Smith's employer, said in a statement. "His commitment to journalism and the basketball community was immense and we will miss his warm, engaging personality. He was beloved by his Turner Sports and NBA friends and colleagues. Our deepest condolences are with his family and loved ones."

The death of Mr. Smith, who was 48, stunned Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr and New Orleans Pelicans Coach Stan Van Gundy, both of whom had worked with Smith at Turner Sports.

"I just heard the news about Sekou Smith, and I am just devastated," Kerr told reporters. "I know I speak for our entire organization, just crushing news today. Sekou has been a part of the NBA family for a long time."

The word “family” was repeatedly stressed. “It just hit hard,” Van Gundy said, adding that he had learned of Mr. Smith’s death just before practice. “I think for all of us, this COVID thing has been painful, to say the least. But when you lose somebody that you know, and that you admire and respect and who is young — I mean, he might not be young by some of your guys’ standards, but young by my standards — it’s just really, really hard.

“This thing is so scary and has brought so much grief to so many people. … Today is one those days. There’s a lot of people in Atlanta today grieving a great man in Sekou.”

Mr. Smith, a native of Grand Rapids, Mich., studied at Jackson State University and began his career at the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss. He later covered the Indiana Pacers for the Indianapolis Star and the Atlanta Hawks for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He moved to Turner Sports in 2009, analyzing games for NBA TV, writing for NBA.com and hosting the Hang Time podcast and blog. He also appeared regularly on NBA TV’s studio shows “Game Time” and “The Beat.”

He is survived by his wife, Heather, and their three children, Gabriel, Rielly and Cameron.

 

[weepingangel]

Center Point community mourns the loss of beloved teacher Stephen Broxton
more at link
CENTER POINT, Ala. - Students, teachers, and staff at Erwin Middle School are mourning the loss of a beloved teacher, who died battling COVID-19.

School Principal, Dr. Angela Bush said everyone at the school, and many in the community, are devastated to hear of 42-year-old Stephen Broxton’s passing. He died Thursday after battling COVID-19 for several weeks.

Dr. Bush remembers Mr. Broxton as a devoted and dedicated teacher with a heart of gold, often putting the needs of others above his own.

Being one of very few Black, male teachers, many looked to him as a role model.

Mr. Broxton taught Exceptional Education, and was also the Assistant Girls’ Basketball Coach at Center Point High School.

Dr. Bush said Mr. Broxton started feeling sick back in January complaining of a cough. But she said he hesitated to go to the doctor because he didn’t want his students to fall behind. Dr. Bush says Mr. Broxton tested positive for COVID-19 on January 14th, and unfortunately never recovered.

“He was a role model for the students, and he could relate to the students. This was his heart and passion: working with students…special relationship with the males. So, it’s been a bit hard on the teachers here, the students and some of our parents as well because he poured so much into us and our school,” Dr. Bush said.

Grief counselors have been at Erwin Middle School since Thursday offering support to students and staff. Students have organized a celebration of life for Mr. Broxton. They’re having a balloon release scheduled for next Thursday.

 

[weepingangel]

Family, community remembers veteran Las Cruces fire lieutenant who died from COVID-19
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Doña Ana County is mourning the loss of a long time public servant who lost his life to COVID-19.

The family of Fire Lieutenant Edward Vasquez is remembering a father, husband, brother and son, who lived his life to help others.

Vasquez lost his life to the virus on Jan. 30, but unfortunately due to a backlog of COVID-19 deaths he hasn’t been able to be put to rest.

“I think that everyone’s doing the best they can in the situation and the fact that we had to wait a couple more weeks to get him cremated, is OK,” Edward's sister, Vanessa Kolson, said.

His family said he died a fighter and will forever be missed.

“He was the husband, the son, the brother, the friend that would just be there for you if you needed someone. If you needed someone to come by to help you with a home project, or to help you move, he was just that type of person that would be there,” Edward's brother, Mario Vasquez, said.

On Thursday, Kevin Hoban, the Chief at Mesilla Fire Department reminisced on times spent with a man he said was extremely special. “He contributed a lot to this department,” Hoban said. “He left his mark here and I’m certainly never going to forget him.”

Vasquez was only 35 years old when COVID-19 took his life.

“Once he was pulled off the ventilator, then he passed away within three minutes,” Kolson said.

His siblings tell KFOX14 he was a family man. He leaves behind his wife and daughter. “They were his life, they were his everything,” Mario Vasquez said.

“It’s a lot for a seven-year-old to lose her dad and they have a baby on the way as well, a little boy and we are so happy to be able to carry on his legacy through his son,” Kolson said.

Most recently he was working at the fire department at the NASA White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces. His colleagues said his impact went far beyond his family and into the community.

“He was just an overall great person, he always had a great outlook on life,” Joshua Sanchez said.

“I truly learned a lot of from Edward,” James Herrera, the NASA fire department deputy chief, said. “I learned the importance of caring, not only for your crew, but for others and having a compassion for life.”

Friday, Feb. 26, a procession with full honors will bring Vasquez home to Las Cruces where he will eventually be laid to rest.

 

[itsreenw]

I'm so sorry. What a heartbreaking loss. I'm praying for you and your family.

Thank you for your prayers.

 

[weepingangel]

Tucson doctor, volunteer with asylum seekers 'put his all into everything he did'

More at link
Dr. Stephen D. Thompson, a retired anesthesiologist known for standing up for his principles and his vibrant sense of humor, died Feb. 15 in Tucson. He was 74 years old.

Thompson and his wife, Susan, also a doctor, devoted much of the past two years to helping thousands of asylum seekers from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and other countries who passed through Tucson.

Watch Now: Hybrid teaching during the pandemic at Marana High School
“He and his wife were the first people in the door and the last people out,” said Diego Piña, program manager for Casa Alitas, a Catholic Community Services program that oversees much of the local effort to care for asylum seekers.

They made sure everyone at Casa Alitas was “treated with the utmost respect and care,” Piña said, including making sure volunteers “double-check, or even triple-check at times,” that anyone with a medical issue was doing well.

“He was the epitome of what I believe a doctor, a humanitarian aid person, and a human should be,” Piña said. “He was a role model for all of us.”

Thompson grew up in Indiana and lived in New York and Colorado before moving to Tucson in 1999. He worked at Southern Arizona Anesthesia until he retired in 2013. Along the way, Thompson graduated from Harvard Medical School, and he and his wife traveled the world. They relished cooking, gardening, hiking, cycling and the theater.

Thompson was “incredibly careful” during the coronavirus pandemic, but he eventually was infected and died from a coronavirus infection, said Dr. Anna Landau, a family medicine physician in Tucson and medical coordinator at Casa Alitas. His wife was with him when he died at the hospital.

 

[SeekingJana]

They weren't " famous" but I lost 3 people I've loved very much in my lifetime.

One was my former husband, F.K.G., who was found dead in his apartment. He'd been married to a wealthy older lady, but they had divorced at some point the year before. He was notable for his groundbreaking work for the Tennessee Valley Authority in creating a Mississippi River waterway from the river's headwaters to its last port of New Orleans. He was a brilliant man in most ways.

I lost 2 other significant people in my life. One was a very handsome friend and once upon a time boyfriend, and the other was a longtime love I always expected to see again.

Huge losses. I think my husband understands my grief. It's more the knowing they're gone for good and likely suffered greatly before they died that bothers me most.
RIP, Southern gentlemen. You'll always live in my heart and memories.

 

[weepingangel]

Maureen Elizabeth “Mo” McNally LaLama, Boardman, Ohio Obituary
Much much more at link
BOARDMAN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Maureen Elizabeth “Mo” McNally LaLama, 64, passed away Tuesday evening, February 2, 2021, at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital from complications of Covid-19.

Maureen was born November 14, 1956, in Youngstown, the youngest of three children born to the late William and Elizabeth Gustas McNally and she was a lifelong area resident.

Mo was a 1973 graduate of Chaney High School, she then attended Youngstown State University and later graduated from Choffin Career and Technical Center School of Surgical Technology.

Maureen worked for over 25 years as a surgical technician at Northside Hospital and at Beeghly Surgical. Recently, Maureen was sharing her skills, teaching surgical technology at Choffin, which was a job she truly loved.

 

[weepingangel]

Italo Servi, 98, soft-spoken heir to rich Italian Jewish heritage - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
much much more at link
When Italo Servi donated an amulet that had been in his family for two centuries to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts five years ago, his children had no idea the object even existed.

Servi received the amulet from his mother during a visit home in 1949 while studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Following Italian Jewish tradition, the silver amulet containing parchment inscribed with a prayer that was passed down in Servi’s family for generations, was hung over a baby’s crib to protect the newborn from illness.

Back in Boston, Servi put the amulet away for safekeeping, where it remained for decades, as he married, raised a family and pursued a career as a metallurgist. No one in the family knew anything about it until Servi gifted it to the MFA in 2016.

“He was guarded about the things he did and didn’t talk about. I never realized until 10 or 20 years ago the impact of the events of his life had on his personality and upbringing,” said his son, Ron Servi.

Servi, who died on Jan. 2 due to complications from COVID-19 at the age of 98, was born in Gallarate, Italy in 1922. His family had deep roots in Pitigliano, a town in central Italy known as “little Jerusalem” due to its well-established Jewish presence. Servi celebrated his bar mitzvah in 1936 in Pitgliano’s historic synagogue, which was built in 1598.

 

[weepingangel]

Greenfield, Mo. community mourns the loss of doctor to COVID-19
more at link
GREENFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - The small town of Greenfield only has two family physicians. And now that’s down to just one.

The doors of the Greenfield Medical Center are now shuttered because of the death of 52 year-old Dr. Michael Bennett, who passed away March 6 after a battle with COVID-19.

The father of two who enjoyed farming, biking, and the outdoors had practiced in Greenfield for 16 years .

Those who knew him said he was what you looked for in a small town doc.

“It’s great to have small town doctors because there’s a closeness and bond with their community,” said Pam Cramer, the Dade County Health Director who worked with Bennett.

“I know I could call him any hour of the day or night and he’d respond back,” recalled Greenfield Police Chief Tim Larkin, who was both a patient and friend of Bennett. “I know when I caught COVID he checked on me personally. He was a person you could trust.”

“When you went to see him it didn’t matter how many (patients) were ahead or behind him, you were something special when you went into his office,” added Nancy Lowe of Lowe’s Realty, a friend of the family.

Dr. Bennett fully understood the dangers of being on the front-lines in fighting the deadly disease, putting his health at risk to keep others from dying.

“He was very cautious with everything,” Larkin pointed out. “Masks everywhere, face shields. It really surprised me when he caught it.”

“To be as young as he was and as physically in good shape as he was, I would never have dreamed that would have got him,” Lowe said.

“We just knew he was going to be okay,” Cramer said. “So when he passed away it was a very personal thing here at the health department. "