The obituary of a Kansas man who died of COVID-19 blasted people who don’t wear masks amid the pandemic.
The obit said Marvin J. Farr, 81, died in his nursing home without family by his side on Tuesday after contracting the virus. He became one of the more than 275,000 people who have died of coronavirus in the United States.
“He died in a room not his own, being cared for by people dressed in confusing and frightening ways,” the post read. “He died with COVID-19, and his final days were harder, scarier and lonelier than necessary. He was not surrounded by friends and family.”
The piece described how Marvin was born as the U.S. was recovering from the Great Depression and about to enter World War II — “times of loss and sacrifice difficult for most of us to imagine.”
“Americans would be asked to ration essential supplies and send their children around the world to fight and die in wars of unfathomable destruction,” the obituary said. “He died in a world where many of his fellow Americans refuse to wear a piece of cloth on their face to protect one another.”
The obit said Marvin, who was a farmer and member of the local church, did not see a conflict between science of his professional life and his personal beliefs. The obituary pointed out that Marvin also would take care of people who “harmed him the deepest,” saying it’s a “sentiment echoed by the healthcare workers struggling to do their jobs as their own communities turn against them or make their jobs harder.”
In a Facebook post, Courtney Farr said his late father had been in isolation since Thanksgiving and both loved to argue about politics. Courtney admitted the obituary was meant to be “political” for that reason and because it would stir debate.
In response to the overwhelming support, Courtney encouraged others to donate to local hospital foundations, homeless shelters, immigrant and senior support organizations as the colder weather arrives.
“This winter will be hard on everyone, but it will be hardest on our most vulnerable people,” Courtney said.
The obit echoes similar fierce criticism from an Arizona father’s obituary written by his daughter, Kristin Urquiza. She told CBSN in July that her father’s death was “completely preventable” and blamed politicians for their “carelessness.”
