Eulalia Gaston

Contractor, hairstylist Age: 53

Eulalia Gaston, 53, lived for her family. She was an independent contractor and hairstylist but most proudly a mom.

An infectious personality who said she never met a stranger, she passed along her message of love and acceptance to her five children.

Like many Americans, she approached getting vaccinated with caution at first. She had high blood pressure but was otherwise relatively healthy. “I’ll get the shot after the FDA approves the vaccine,” she told her family.

She tested positive for the coronavirus in July and checked into the hospital on Aug. 4. She died two weeks later, six days before the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine.

She was a giver. If a friend needed a place to stay for the night, her couch was available, accompanied by scrambled eggs and her signature homemade pancakes the next day.

She loved hugs and saying “I love you” to her children, a family tradition they continue today.