JAMIE MUNKS, RICK PEARSON and DAN PETRELLA
Chicago Tribune
As a young man in the Army Air Forces during World War II, Jerome Liesse flew around the globe, delivering supplies to far-flung U.S. troops, his granddaughter said.
Because of the coronavirus, Liesse, 95 and no longer capable of getting around on his own, spent much of this year confined to his room at a state-run veterans home in LaSalle, a few miles from Starved Rock State Park.
Like other long-term care facilities across the state, the LaSalle Veteransâ Home shut down indoor, in-person visits in an effort to keep the deadly virus outside its walls. Liesse was only able to see Evelan, his wife of more than 40 years, twice during those eight months â once separated by plexiglass â and held her hand just one time, in August after she had a stroke, granddaughter Jill Funfsinn said.
Pritzker put on defensive by COVID-19 outbreak that tore through LaSalle VA home with terrifying speed chicagotribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chicagotribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.