Remembering those lost to COVID-19 in Saskatchewan

The global pandemic has left many people to mourn the loss of loved ones who died after testing positive for COVID-19.

Sixteen people have died in Saskatchewanafter contracting the novel coronavirus. Here's what we know about each victim.

Alice Grove, 75

Alice Grove, 75, died March 28 at the Battlefords Union Hospital.Her sister, Eleanor Widdowson, said everything changed in a matter of days. In mid-March they had gotten together for coffee and muffins. That was the last time she spoke with her sister in person.

Widdowson said her sister went to church when she could and loved to socialize in town. She was a widow who lived alone on afarm and didn't have children. However,she loved her extended family.Widdowson said Grove's death would leave a big hole in the grieving family.

She made the hard decision to have her sister cremated, saying that those who wanted to say goodbye wouldn't be able to because of the COVID-19 restrictions.

85-year-old Kamsack man

The next day, an85-year-old man from the Kamsack, Sask., area died in hospital.CBC is not naming the man at the request of the family.

Ron Mackay, 85

Ron Mackay, the third victim in the province, was also 85when he died from COVID-19-related complications on March 31.His family says they have received a huge amount of supportfrom strangers and fromfriends.

Mackay has been described as a man wholoved northern Saskatchewan: the lakes, the call of the loons breakingthe silence atdawn, and his island home. More than all of that, he is described as loving his family. He and his wife Evelynowned and operated Red's Camps, an outfitting businessin La Ronge, for decades before selling it a few years ago.

That's where Mackayhosted countless people, but perhaps most notablyJohnny Cash and June Carter.

It's not clear to the family how he contracted the virus, but Mackay's wifealso had it.The family his wife, their five children, 16 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren want people to be careful and stay home.

Noble 'Butch' Gullacher, 69

Noble "Butch"Gullacher, 69, was the fourth person in Saskatchewan to die ofCOVID-19. He was admitted tohospital on March 19 and never left.

His wife Kathleen watched doctors remove his ventilator through a glass window. A nurse held his hand as he passed on April 10.

Kathleen said her husband spent a large part of his life crisscrossing the country as a conductor for the Canadian Pacific Railway. In addition to trains, he also loved cars and was the founding member of Saskatchewan's BMW Club.

Noble 'Butch' Gullacher adored his grandkids, trap shooting

4 years ago

Duration 2:02

Kathleen Gullacher lost her husband, Butch, to COVID-19 on April 10

In retirement, he enjoyed watching his grandchildrenplay sports andplaying cards with them.

Gullacher wasfather to two sons and had three grandchildren who "kept him going." His family believes he contracted the virus through community transmission, although it's not clear where.

Joseph Pierre Sylvester,83

Marie Trottier says her brother, 83-year-old Joseph Pierre Sylvester, died as a result of COVID-19-related complications on April 26.

Sylvester, according to Trottier, was the first patient at the long-term care home in La Loche to catch the virus. She said he was moved into isolation in North Battleford shortly after, where he died. The death was the firstof a patient in long-term care in Saskatchewan.

She said while her older brother had a hard life, there were a lot of people who cared about him.

"It's so sad," she said. "It's a pandemic. What can a person do? It seems like it's attacking only the vulnerable people."

Trottier said the fact her brother died alone is especially sad.

"He died in the hospital all alone with no family members," she said. "If we're losing our loved ones, at least we should be by their bedside."

Agnes McDonald, 85

Agnes McDonald,who would have turned 86 in May, is the sixth COVID-19 death in the provinceand the second who was a long-term care patient in La Loche. She was a well-known elder in the northern community.

McDonald's daughter confirmed the death and said McDonald died as a result of COVID-19 in La Loche on April 28.

7th death

The province announced on May 20 that a resident in their 60s from the north region who had tested positive for COVID-19 had died.The case bringsthe total number of deaths in Saskatchewan to seven.

CBC is not yet aware of the identify of the victim or the circumstances surrounding the case.

Nelda Maurice, 64

On May 25, the Maurice family said goodbye to Nelda Maurice fromle--la-Crosse at St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon, CBC News confirmed.

Her daughters described Nelda Maurice as a happy, lively woman who loved her grandchildren and the community. She worked with students as a teacher's aid for years, and was known for organizing events like the Terry Fox run and walks for diabetes.

Her daughters, Krystal and Lana Maurice,said that saying goodbye to her has been the hardest thing they have ever had to do and it all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.

6 more deaths of 'far north' residents

Saskatchewan's far north region has had far more casesthan any other in the province. Many of them stemmedfrom an outbreak in La Loche. Eight of the 16people who have died after a positive diagnosis are from this area. Four others are from the north, but the province refuses to say where they lived.

Six of the most recent deaths in the province, including those two, have been people from the far northregion.

On May 26, the province said someone in their50s from the far north region who tested positive for COVID-19 died.

It reported another death the following day, saying aperson in their 80s from the far north region haddied.

On May 31, the province reported anotherdeath. The person was in their 70s and lived in the north region.

The government announced on June 8 that two more residents of the far north region had died after being diagnosed withCOVID-19.One was in their 60s while the other was in their 70s, according to the province.

Another death of a far north resident was announced July 2. The person was in their 70s.

CBC is not yet aware of the identities of these victims or the circumstances surrounding their cases.

Person in their 20s dies in north region

On July 7, the province announced a person in their 20s in the north region of the province had died after contracting COVID-19. This was the youngest person in the province to die after being diagnosed with the virus.

CBCdoesnot yet know this person's identity or the circumstances surrounding their cases.

Person in their 60sbecomesprovince's 16th death

On July 23, the province announced a person from the north who tested positive for COVID-19 had died. The province saidthe person was in their 60s.