âIâll see you in heaven.â
It was the last thing Al Braccolino, 90, of Crown Point, told one of his daughters as paramedics loaded him into an ambulance Nov. 16. COVID-19 forced him into the final fight of his life.
Ten days later, the chair Al usually occupied at the Thanksgiving table would sit empty. The husband to his wife of 70 years, father of three and grandfather of six died on the holiday.
Alâs daughter, Sandra Noe, was herself suffering from COVID-19, which she contracted while caring for her sick parents, when the virus forced Alâs hospitalization.
Noe, 66, is no stranger to helping elderly shut-ins weather isolation.
U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, did not get his wish to be assigned to the seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee held for many years by his predecessor, former U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Gary.
But Mrvan is confident he ll still be able to make a difference for Northwest Indiana, and the nation, as a member of the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Veteransâ Affairs Committee during the 117th Congress. I am thrilled to have the opportunity on these committees to continue to be an advocate for and staunch supporter of organized labor, workers, veterans, and teachers and students across America, Mrvan said Friday.