‘A pandemic robbed us.’ Readers share stories about losing family to COVID-19
Nearly 500 people in York, Lancaster and Chester counties have died from the coronavirus, but behind each number, there’s a story. A person. A loss.
We asked our readers to tell us about their losses.
Several readers submitted brief essays about loved ones. Moving forward, we plan to publish the essays as part of an occasional feature. Instructions are at the end of this article.
Here’s a compilation of essays submitted by readers last week.
Submitted by Clancy Collins, in memory of Billy Collins
My daddy, Billy Collins, 74, was a simple man, who worked hard for everything he had, and I was always told “we’ll leave the light on for you”, meaning I always had a place to come home to. My daddy had a calmness and the corniest sense of humor of anyone I knew. He would look at you and say, “Now, don’t you smile!”, and you couldn’t hold the smile back no matter how hard you tried.
So, daddy had been sick for a little while. Then, on Halloween, he said he couldn’t breathe and needed to go to the emergency room, so I called 911. When my daddy left that day I knew — but I assume my denial overtook my intuition — that that would be his last time home. He and I had two wonderful conversations the first two days he was at Piedmont Medical Center.
The prognosis was that he had mild coronavirus symptoms and double pneumonia. We just kept getting told it had to run its course. The rest of the family was at home in isolation, or quarantine, and weren’t allowed any face-to-face contact with him. By day three, he was too out of breath to talk, and to try to talk took too much for him to breathe and do both. So, now our conversations were one-sided.
My daddy laid in a hospital bed for 12 days all alone at PMC. Everything he loved, worked for, took pride in, all his accomplishments and being a good person seemed not to matter. To me this was, and still is, a very hard pill to accept and swallow. He laid in that hospital for 12 days all alone!
He was robbed of loved ones with him in his final days and hours. No official goodbyes. I can only imagine the utter sorrow, hopelessness, helplessness, scared of the unknown. No man should be forced to die all alone. We should depart as we enter and that is with the ones who love us. Not alone.
I miss that man so much. A pandemic robbed us of more than just our husband, daddy, PawPaw, friend. My entire family just seems lost. No proper closure. No proper funeral. My daddy’s spirit, sense of humor, love and kindness was something no pandemic could touch.
Submitted by Jeremy Linnick, in memory of Dorothy Linnick
My last living grandparent, Dorothy, passed away on April 18 at the age of 88. She was living in an assisted living home and caught the coronavirus. While dealing with the virus, she also got pneumonia.
Since she lived in New York, my family and I were unable to travel for her funeral. We had to attend it over Facebook Live. It was so weird and still hasn’t officially hit me that she has passed on. My grandfather and her were of Polish descent. They lived in Brooklyn prior to moving to Long Island, where they raised my father and his five siblings.
My fiance and I get married in October and it’s depressing to think that I’ll have none of my grandparents physically attending the wedding.
Submitted by Jessica Lynee Ayers, in memory of Ernest Wade Ayers, Jr.
My father, Ernest Wade Ayers Jr., thought he had a sinus infection. He had COVID. He loved his family, fishing, his church family, football, and Jesus Christ. He passed away to run toward Jesus on January 14, 2021 after fighting for over a week. He was my best friend.
I have started a petition to make a permanent United States national Remembrance Day for COVID victims on change.org.
Submitted by Kristy Bengivenga, in memory of Edward Bengivenga
Ed was the rock of our family, selfless and generous, kind and thoughtful, a skilled handyman, wonderful husband, the best dad, grandpa, son, brother and nephew. Smart, funny and brave. He had a larger-than-life personality. He was also a loyal friend, dedicated employee, and an honorable man of God. We miss him so much.
We are still accepting essays. Responses and general information submitted may be used as the basis for future reporting. If you’re interested in submitting one, please use the link above.
Participants must be the sole author and agree their letters have been submitted for publication without the expectation of being paid.
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 12:04 PM.
