“No one was safe to become Dan’s friend.” Friends and family remember victims of the Freedom Square Coronavirus

Daniel Lewis expected his stay to be temporary at the Seminole Pavilion Rehabilitation, a nursing home within the retiree community at Seminole Freedom Square.

66-year-old Lewis checks into a nursing home for a two-week rehabilitation program ordered by a doctor at St. Antony Hospital. A lifetime smoker, Lewis developed severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had been treated for symptoms and infections for the past month.

His family believed that Lewis was finally around the corner in rehabilitation. But during the two weeks he entered the nursing home, his health began to deteriorate.

Lewis has been tested for COVID-19. COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory disease that has spread through nursing homes and nursing homes nationwide. The two grandfathers will die of the virus on April 17.

“He will be missed forever,” said his son, Jonathan Lewis. “He will be, and will continue to be, the pillar of power for his family.”

From Binnewater, New York, about 90 miles north of Manhattan, Lewis was the fourth of six children. Two brothers died in childhood.

“As the last remaining brother with three sisters, he always felt like the center of their attention,” his son said.

In his early career, Lewis drove an ambulance in a nearby town of Kingston and raced to help those in need. He was born with the desire to make friends with everyone he met, his son said. “Everyone was safe to become Dan’s new friend.”

After moving to Florida, his 42-year-old wife, Ethel, spent more than 30 years as a nurse at St. Antonio’s Hospital. They lived nearby, where they raised their son and daughter, Melissa Dellano. The children said she and her husband had an inseparable relationship, even during the five-year fight against Ethel’s breast cancer that ended when she died in 2017.

On her last day, Ethel’s sister-in-law Mary Plant Harbor said the love between her husband and wife had never been stronger.

“I asked her if there was anything I wanted her to do, and her only request was to make sure Danny was okay,” Planthaber said. “She was ill, so I was worried about Dan.”

After his wife’s death, Lewis kept the garden in St. Anthony’s private garden. On April 14th, as health continued to deteriorate within Freedom Square, Lewis rushed back to the hospital and worked to maintain her memory.

The next day, Lewis was transferred to the Suncoast Hospice Care Center. He died there two days later.

On the day of Lewis’ death, Freedom Square ordered the emergency evacuation of nearly 100 inhabitants of the Seminole Pavilion Rehabilitation Building.

As of Thursday, a total of seven residents died after signing COVID-19 at a nursing home facility.

As a family storyteller and adviser, the virus prevents the virus from stealing herself, despite the lifelong itch to “come to the rescue” for those in need, anxiety, and trouble. I told you.

Jonathan Lewis said that Luis continued calling her sisters her children several times a week, “simple, difficult, and unexpected through all the things that she faced in life,” with support and wisdom. Provided the words.

“He wanted only good things to happen for everyone, not just for one. He wanted to see the world and everyone in it in harmony.” Said his son.

• • •

Did you die of your favorite COVID-19? : Remember them

Q & A about unemployment: Answer Questions About Florida Unemployment Benefits

Contributing to the scrapbook: Help tell a story of life under the coronavirus

Bright spots in the dark: The world is tough today, but we still have good news

Listen to the Coronaville Podcast: Weekly new episodes, including interviews with experts and reporters

Any hints? : Send us secret news tips

Get the Day Starter Morning Update: Register to receive the latest information 6 days a week

Watch the video: How to find light in an isolated part of Tampa Bay

We are working hard to bring you the latest news about the Coronavirus in Florida. This task requires a lot of resources to collect and update. If you haven’t registered yet, Consider a print or digital subscription.