It’s part of a Yahoo News Series to honor some of the American lives lost by COVID-19. Their stories are told by family and friends, who are left to deal with their sudden and painful death.
Kathy Ann Weldon (63) of Salem, Mo., passed away on January 24, 2021 after becoming ill with COVID-19. She is one of more than 500,000 Americans who have lost their lives due to the disease since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic early last year.
Her 28-year-old husband, Randy Weldon, told Yahoo News that his wife was a loving mother, grandmother and the love of his life.
Kathy Weldon was a medical technologist who worked in laboratories in small towns for almost 30 years. Weldon recently worked at Salem Memorial District Hospital, where she was the director of the laboratory department. She just retired in 2019.
Her husband says ‘she was a very dedicated employee’ who wanted to help those she managed.
“Kathy would cover people’s holidays on holidays,” he said. “She just felt she had to go in there and work and help the employees. … We were empty nest. She worked vacations so that other people who had children could enjoy their vacation at home with their children, and we would compensate for that later. ”
Her daughter, Laura Johnson, said one of her mother’s favorite things to do outside of the lab was fishing. “She taught all our children to fish,” Johnson said, adding that Weldon also loved painting and crafts, and that he was a “zealous cross-stitch worker.”
Randy Weldon remembered how much his wife loved children. She has enjoyed substitute teaching and enjoys doing laboratory demonstrations for elementary school students.
She loved her grandchildren very much. The couple had 11 grandchildren who, according to Weldon, were “the loves of her life”.
Randy and Kathy Weldon contracted COVID in mid-December 2020. The virus did not affect Randy that much, but Kathy quickly deteriorated. After being hospitalized for five weeks, she loses her battle with the disease.
For Randy Weldon, the loss of his partner was devastating. ‘It’s a very difficult situation to get into when you’m married or have been with someone for so long and are suddenly gone. … And you think to yourself, ‘I do not know if I can do this,’ he said.
He recently began working with a counselor to help him cope with his loss, and he strongly encourages those who have lost a loved one to COVID to do the same.
“I urge you to seek help,” he said. “Do not try to carry it alone.”
____
Read more from Yahoo News: