Remembering with Dignity

From January, 2020 through May, 2023, a COVID-19 pandemic created great upheaval throughout the world and yet, the United States has no official day of remembrance or national memorial for the 1.2 million Americans who died then from the disease.  Here is a page for brief stories of those who passed away during the pandemic.  All are welcomed to submit remembrances for inclusion in this memorial.

During the 2020-2023 pandemic, over 25,000 people died in Massachusetts of COVID-19.  The coronavirus spread quickly throughout the United States; hospitals became overwhelmed with COVID patients; and there was an acute shortage of personal protective equipment.  By mid-March, 2020, a state of emergency was declared in Massachusetts.  Large gatherings were banned and people were encouraged to stay home; non-essential businesses closed and many employees began working from home; schools and restaurants were closed; and family and friends were not permitted to visit residents in senior congregate housing communities (including nursing homes and assisted living residences).  In early 2021 vaccines became available, but it was not until April-May, 2023 that the public health emergency was lifted in the United States. 

The 2020-2023 pandemic was an exceedingly difficult time.  People experienced great isolation; many died in health facilities without family and friends to comfort them; and many survivors did not get to attend funerals or grieve in person with family and friends.  Young children were adversely impacted by the school closures and isolation; and parents struggled to manage working from home while children could not attend day-care or schools.   

How to Submit a Person for Remembrance

If someone close to you passed away in isolation in a facility, please share your brief story and photo to remember them.

Dignity Alliance Massachusetts is honoring people who died during the pandemic, either from COVID itself or due to other circumstances that were worsened or not prioritized for care because of the public health emergency.  It is hoped that this on-line compilation will provide comfort and some degree of peace to those who lost loved ones during the pandemic.

A link to our on-line submission form for the Remembering with Dignity project can be found here.  INSERT

The description of the deceased are limited to 175 words. We suggest that the description of the deceased try to capture the deceased’s essence and values the deceased lived by.  Also include how the deceased came to die.  For example, did they live or work in a nursing home or hospital?  Were they working as an essential worker in drug stores or supermarkets, or were they home health aides?

One photo of the deceased may be submitted.  Keep in mind that if you have a choice of a group photo or a photo of only one or two people, the deceased will show up more clearly in a non-large group photo.

For any questions about your submission, please email memorial@dignityalliancema.org .

Fall, 2025 – Remembrance Event

In October or November, 2025, Dignity Alliance Massachusetts will host a virtual Zoom meeting of survivors who want to honor those who died during the pandemic and to turn their grief into advocacy for better policies to protect the most vulnerable and their families during future health emergencies and other disasters.  This is why we ask for you to include in your 175-word write-up any specifics you care to share about where or how your loved one died; this will help our Zoom meeting discussion and our advocacy efforts going forward.  Further information regarding the Zoom session will be forthcoming. 

Dignity Alliance

Dignity Alliance MA began in 2020, in response to overwhelmingly high death rates in nursing homes in MA (and nation wide). People with disabilities and older adults were particularly vulnerable, but negligence in care in facilities exacerbated the infections.

Today, in 2025, COVID is endemic. Few are still wearing masks and vaccinations are down. However, it continues to be life threatening for some, and life-changing for others.

Dignity Alliance has now broadened our scope to improve life for all elder adults and/or those with disabilities, both in the community and in facilities.

Friends and Family We Remember

• PETER W. COOGAN:  February 21, 1944 – April 9, 2020
  Peter Coogan was a modern-day Renaissance man with diverse interests and great ability.  For 37 years, Peter practiced law at Foley Hoag, a large Boston law firm, where he chaired the firm’s business department and was a managing partner.  Peter loved his wife and two children, and the family spent virtually every weekend and vacation at their Vermont vacation home where Peter mowed the fields and maintained the woods and dirt roads with his much-beloved tractors.  Peter was equally passionate about classical music although when asked about his musical talent, he would say that he excelled only in playing the stereo.  Nonetheless, Peter spent many happy hours banging on pots and a xylophone with his infant grandniece and grandson.  At the end of his life, Peter was debilitated and in a nursing home.  His wife was with him every day until nursing homes were closed to visitors because of the pandemic.  Shortly after the closure, Peter contracted COVID and he died alone without his family. 

COVID Timeline

Prepared May, 2025, Data compiled from on-line sources, including Wikipedia and Boston Globe articles.

• November – December, 2019:  COVID-19 infections broke out in Wuhan City, China.  On January 7, 2020, China confirmed that the Wuhan infection cluster was caused by a novel infectious coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (known as COVID-19).
• January -February, 2020:  Beginning of a first wave of COVID-19 infections in the U.S.
  • On January 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency.
  • February 29, 2020:  Washington state reported that a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions was the first COVID death in the U.S.  Also of concern was a report that in a Washington state nursing home, a resident and a health worker tested positive for COVID and many other residents and staff had COVID symptoms.  By this time, the United States had more than 60 reported COVID cases. 
• March, 2020:
  • By mid-March, 2020, the United States had the highest number of known COVID cases of any country.  There were over 100,000 diagnosed COVID cases in the U.S. by March 27^th.
  • March 10, 2020:  Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts because of COVID-19.
  • March 11^th:  The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
  • March 13^th:  Governor Baker banned gatherings of more than 250 people in certain locations, and U.S. President Donald J. Trump declared a national emergency. 
  • March 14^th:  The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) directed that all congregate housing communities (such as nursing homes) be closed to visits by family or others.  All communal dining and group activities were halted.  In March, visits to patients in Massachusetts hospitals were also restricted. 
  • March 15^th:  Governor Baker ordered all public and private schools to close.  Dine-in eating in restaurants was banned and there could be gatherings of no more than 25 people.
  • March 23^rd:  Governor Baker announced a stay-at-home advisory with the result that nonessential businesses were closed and many employees began working from home. 
• April, 2020:
  • By mid-April, 2020, Massachusetts had 25,475 cases of COVID-19 and was the state with the third-most cases in the U.S.  Also by mid-April, the Massachusetts COVID death toll reached 1,000.  Many of those who died had lived in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes. 
  • The U.S. economy contracted by 4.8% between January and March, 2020.  Unemployment rose to 14.7% in April and then increased to 17.4% in June.  As of June, the U.S. economy was over 10% smaller than it had been in December, 2019.
• May, 2020:
  • The U.S. government led an initiative to accelerate development, manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.  Called Operation Warp Speed, the public-private partnership ran from May 15, 2020 through February 21, 2021.
  • With declining numbers of people hospitalized with COVID, Governor Baker announced on May 11, 2020 a four-phase plan to reopen Massachusetts businesses.  Phase one permitted manufacturing and construction sites to open, followed by offices and “limited personal services.”  On May 26^th, Governor Baker announced that the surge of COVID cases was over in Massachusetts.
• June, 2020:  Beginning of a second wave of COVID-19 infections in the U.S.
  • On June 3, 2020, after two and a half months, Massachusetts health authorities permitted out-door visits by family and friends to residents of nursing home and other group homes, but with restrictions.
  • On June 6^th, Governor Baker announced phase two of the Massachusetts reopening plan, allowing childcare, day camps, lodging, retail stores, outdoor restaurant seating and children’s sports programs to reopen but with strict precautions.
• July – August, 2020:
  • On July 2, 2020, Governor Baker initiated the first portion of phase three of the Massachusetts reopening plan, allowing gyms, casinos, museums and other businesses to reopen with safety precautions.  Phase three also eased somewhat visitation restrictions in congregate care facilities. 
  • At the end of July, 2020, there was an increase in COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts which Governor Baker attributed to large gatherings that had violated state COVID guidelines. 
  • In August, 2020, Governor Baker delayed the second portion of phase three of the Massachusetts reopening plan.
  • Schools had been closed since March, 2020, and Massachusetts schools had to decide how to commence teaching in the fall.  Many districts ended up adopting hybrid plans which included remote (on-line) learning and limited in-school teaching. 
• September, 2020:
  • In Massachusetts, long-term care facilities were hit especially hard by the coronavirus.  By the end of September, 2020, nearly 25,000 Massachusetts residents and healthcare workers in these facilities had been infected, and more than 6,000 coronavirus deaths had occurred there.
  • On September 25, 2020, Massachusetts health authorities permitted indoor visits for residents of Massachusetts nursing homes and other group facilities, subject to certain restrictions.
  • On September 29^th, Governor Baker initiated part two of phase three of the reopening plan, allowing certain indoor and outdoor venues to open at 50% capacity. 
• October – early December, 2020:  Beginning of a third surge of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.
  • In late October, 2020, there was a sharp increase in COVID cases in Massachusetts.
  • On November 2, 2020, Governor Baker reinstated stricter rules, including face mask requirements and a stay-at-home advisory for the hours between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
  • In anticipation of the November 3^rd national election, some states (including Massachusetts) expanded mail-in voting options and offered free drop-off locations for ballots.
  • On November 3^rd, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was elected President, beating out Donald J. Trump.
  • By November 9^th, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed 10 million and hospitals were still being overwhelmed with record numbers of COVID patients.
  • On December 8^th, Governor Baker announced that all cities and towns were required to roll back to part one of phase three of the state’s reopening plan. 
• Mid-December, 2020 – April, 2021:
  • Prior to COVID-19, a vaccine for an infectious disease had never been produced in less than several years, and no vaccine existed to prevent coronavirus infection in humans.  Within less than a year after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, vaccines received emergency approvals and vaccination campaigns were initiated.  On December 10, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and later approved Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines.   
  • On December 11, 2020, the U.S. FDA approved the first over-the-counter COVID-19 test.  Previously tests were done at medical offices or authorized drive-through centers. 
  • The first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine arrived at Massachusetts hospitals on December 14^th.  Health care workers were the first to get vaccinated. 
  • On February 1, 2021, Massachusetts residents who were 75 years of age and older became eligible for the COVID vaccine. 
  • Teachers, tutors and day-care providers became eligible in mid-March for the COVID vaccine.
  • A full year after the March 14, 2020 closing of nursing homes and other congregate care facilities to all visitors, on March 16, 2021 Massachusetts health authorities allowed visitors to meet residents in their rooms without social distancing as long as both the visitor and resident were fully vaccinated, but each still had to wear a mask.  Massachusetts health authorities also permitted resumption of group activities in congregate care facilities for fully vaccinated residents (such as card games, dining and watching movies) but with restrictions. 
  • On April 19^th, COVID-19 vaccinations became available to everyone over the age of 12.  Later, COVID vaccinations were approved for those between the ages of 6 months and 12 years.
• June 15, 2021: Governor Baker ended the COVID state of emergency in Massachusetts. New guidelines were issued on how to keep safe since the pandemic had not ended.
• July, 2021:  A new mutation of the COVID virus (“Delta”) caused an increase in COVID cases in Massachusetts.
• September, 2021:  Booster shots of COVID-19 vaccine (reformulated to address new variants of the virus) became available.  Most of the first COVID-19 vaccines were two-dose vaccines.  It was found, however, that immunity from COVID vaccine wanes over time, and so booster doses of vaccine began in late 2021 to maintain protection against COVID-19. 
• November, 2021:  In Massachusetts, there was a surge of cases from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.  Some companies delayed having employees return to offices.
• May 16, 2022:  COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. reached 1 million.
• December, 2022: The U.S. FDA cleared Pfizer’s COVID pill, Paxlovid, for use in high-risk patients who are 12 or older.  This was the first effective antiviral treatment for the disease.
• April 10, 2023:  President Biden signed a resolution terminating the national emergency. 
• May 11, 2023: Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency in Massachusetts.  The national public health emergency ended at the same time.
• May 29, 2023: All COVID restrictions in Massachusetts were lifted, allowing restaurants and other businesses to fully re-open. 
• April 13, 2024:  Because the timely reporting of COVID data had ended by spring, 2024, Coronavirus Tracker and other available data sites no longer report updated information on COVID cases. The last available COVID-19 statistics were reported as of April 13, 2024 as follows:
  • National COVID numbers as of April, 2024:
    • Coronavirus cases:  11,820,082 out of a population of 340,100,000 (3.48% of population)
    • Deaths due to coronavirus:  1,219,487 (00.36% of population – 1/3 of 1%)
  • Massachusetts COVID numbers as of April, 2024:
    • Coronavirus cases: 2,367,542 out of a population of 6,892,503 (34% of population)
    • Deaths due to coronavirus:  25,586 (00.37% of population – 1/3 of 1%)
      • Massachusetts was no. 10 in total deaths (other states, such as Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, Georgia, Tennessee and Arizona, had higher death rates)
• May, 2025: COVID-19 continues to cause illness and deaths.  In the week from March 30 to April 5, 2025, there were 666 new confirmed coronavirus cases in Massachusetts and 2 deaths from the disease.  0.8% of all hospitalizations in Massachusetts were related to COVID-19, meaning that 103 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19.

Resources

• Do It For Them | Covid-19 Impact
• Nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review of challenges and responses – PMC
• Long-Term Care Facilities and Nursing Homes during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review of the Perspectives of Professionals, Families and Residents – PubMed
• Lessons Learned During the Pandemic Can Help Improve Care in Nursing Homes | Office of Inspector General | Government Oversight | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Mourning and Memorializing in the COVID-19 Era from the National Communications Association
• American Eldercide. How It Happened, How to Prevent It  by Margaret Morganroth Gullette, 2024
• The Sick Times
• Boston Globe, February 1, 2020, Massachusetts Reports first confirmed case of coronavirus.