Age: 65
James T. Campbell lost his father, James Cleophas Campbell, to COVID-19 last March, soon after the pandemic arrived in Texas, and just two weeks after the state’s first reported death. But his close-knit family got little time to mourn its 88-year-old patriarch before the coronavirus struck again. “First we lost my dad, then it took his brothers,” James T. says. His dad’s older brother, Johnny, died of COVID-19 in April. In December, the youngest brother, Percy, passed away from cancer. A month later, another family member died from COVID-19.
“I never knew 2020 would be the year of virtual funerals,” James T. says with a sigh. “I haven’t had a chance to mourn my dad, because I’ve been mourning other relatives.”