For more than one year, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed lives while preventing large gatherings, like funerals, that allow people to grieve with family and friends.
On Saturday, workers at Arlington Memorial Garden wanted to give families who could not attend funerals during the pandemic an opportunity gather and share in their loss with others.
"It was difficult because of the pandemic and everything," said Michael Wilver, whose mother died in December. "We couldn't spend the right kind of time that we wanted to be with her."
Wilver's mother was in a nursing home, which prevented the family from spending final moments with her before her death. On Saturday, they were given the opportunity to come together as a family and remember her.
"I'm just here to honor her and all the love that I've always had for my mom," said Cathy Delehanty, Wilver's sister.
The Walk in Remembrance event invited families to light candles and remember their lost loved ones lost during the pandemic -- no matter how they died.
"It's been heartbreaking watching families come in over the past year," said Lisa McClain, with Arlington Memorial Gardens. "You know, we've got the normal grief of losing a loved one. Then as we had to do here at Arlington and other funeral homes and cemeteries throughout the Tri-State, you could only have so many people attend a funeral service, and it's heartbreaking for the families. They couldn't have the service for their loved ones that they wanted to. So we're hoping to be able to help people along their grief journey and get some support from their families."
