Remembering Hamiltonians lost to COVID-19
I can tell you 38 people have died from COVID-19 in Hamilton.
I can break that down and tell you there have been 6.9 deaths per 100,000 residents and 4.7 per cent of those with COVID have died.
I can bombard you with statistics about COVID in our community and, although they are all very important, at some point they will likely blur and become a mass of numbers that mean not very much at all.
But what if I tell you that, for instance, one woman who died of COVID had the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen? Or perhaps that a man taken by the virus had riveting stories to tell of his years in the war? Or maybe another baked the best chocolate chip cookies?
It is my job, as a journalist, to turn death statistics back into real people. To re
mind us of who we have lost.
Most often I do that by writing about murder victims and those who have died in car crashes and fires. And sometimes I chronicle the lives of those who succumbed to common illnesses or diseases we’ve never heard of.
Now a virus the world never knew existed until six months ago has swept down our streets and claimed people from our neighbourhoods. We have barely had time to pause, breathe and reflect. Many of us are numb.
But we can’t let these deaths go unmarked.
The Hamilton Spectator wants to tell those stories. We want to go beyond the statistics and understand what the human impact of COVID has been in Hamilton — and our neighbouring communities. We want to write about the men and women who have been claimed by the virus so we can honour their memories and together we can celebrate their lives.
Like Joe Adamson, 69, a retired McMaster University professor of English who died of coronavirus while vacationing in Portugal.
He had a booming laugh and a love for reading and travelling. He was an expert in the writings of Northrop Frye and equally so in the music of his favourite crooner, Frank Sinatra. He played doubles with “the boys” at the Rosedale Tennis Club for years and mixed a mean cocktail.
And Lionel LeCouter, 85, who lived at The Rosslyn Retirement Residence, site of the worst outbreak in Hamilton.
Lionel wasn’t usually one to say “I love you,” but in the end, he gave his daughter that gift.
Carolyn Hamelin, 62, doted on her husband and loved to throw a Super Bowl party. She enjoyed watching sports and old movies and exchanging recipes with her best friend.
Obituaries are not really about deaths. They are about lives.
Help The Spectator to remember and chronicle local lives lost to COVID.
If you would like to share your memories of a loved one who died of COVID-19, please contact me at sclairmont@thespec.com or 905-526-3539.