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(Tribune News Service) — Cheryl Turgeon just wants the families of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home veterans to have their voices heard.
Turgeon — whose father, Dennis Thresher, a Korean War veteran, was a resident at the home — has spent months calling for change and transparency at the facility that's seen nearly 80 residents die from COVID-19.
Her father, who experienced COVID-like symptoms when the virus first swept through the facility last spring, died Saturday. He was 90.
"These veterans' spirits will live on in the families," Turgeon told the Herald, adding that her father's passing has steeled her resolved to "make it my mission to bring better care and oversight to the ones who deserve it the most."