COVID leaves void in hearts as Augusta honors those we’ve lost
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The city of Augusta on Thursday held a dedication and unveiling ceremony for the city’s COVID-19 memorial plaque at Heroes’ Overlook on the Augusta Riverwalk.
The permanent plaque is intended as a point of remembrance to all Augustans who lost their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayor Garnett Johnson spoke during Thursday’s ceremony, saying no community was immune to this virus.
Whether you were on the front lines, had COVID yourself, took care of someone who did, or even felt the mental health impacts from COVID, everyone was impacted.
Commissioners Jordan Johnson and Alvin Mason both spoke about the family they lost to the virus.
They talked about the community, church, and day-to-day operations COVID put a pause on.
Their hope is this memorial plaque brings peace to those who are still feeling the sting of the pain from COVID today.
Anthony Hunt will never forget COVID-19.
“COVID-19 is always going to be a huge part of my life because it took my backbone away from me,” said Hunt.
When it hit in 2020, Hunt was 19, had just graduated high school, and had big plans to head off to college. When his mom was diagnosed with COVID, everything changed.
“I’ll never forget this day. My mom said, ‘Baby, do you mind having a conversation with me?’ I said, ‘Yeah’, but I’m ready to go. I got band scholarships and soccer scholarships. My mom was like, ‘Do you mind staying home for the next year?’” said Hunt.
That next year, he watched his mother’s health decline from behind the glass.
“The thing that got me when my mom died, they told me I can’t hug my mom or touch my mom,” said Hunt.
Neither could so many other families, as they were separated, unable to properly grieve. The city of Augusta is hoping the new COVID memorial plaque will be something families can come to visit, touch, and use as a way to grieve those losses.
Previous Commissioner Bill Fennoy said: “Families that couldn’t get together at funerals can come here and say that’s my dad, that’s my mother, that’s my friend and have a moment to spend with them.”
As Anthony celebrates his fourth birthday without his mother, he continues to find ways to keep her memory alive.
“She always pushed me to be a good man in the society. I have a bunch of family and she has a bunch of godkids, so I try to be that role model that she always continues to push me to be,” said Hunt.
It’s just one story out of hundreds, for the more than 700 who have lost their lives so far to COVID in Richmond County.
“I used to tell everybody my mama is the honey to my honey-bun, the sugar to my iced tea. My mom was everything to me,” said Hunt.
The plaque is ready for all to come and lay hands on honoring and ing the ones who meant the most.
Heroes’ Overlook is at the 10th Street entrance of the Augusta Riverwalk near the Augusta Marriott Hotel.
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