Molly Merluzzi, of Salem, recalled the tragic passing of her father to COVID-19 last March, saying that it all happened so fast.
Don Kelley was well-known on the North Shore as a master of ceremonies (MC), an auctioneer and a lover of people.
Merluzzi described her father as always living life to the fullest, influencing her to do the same.
When her father died on March 29, COVID-19 was new and unfamiliar. She said that he was always prone to bronchitis and pneumonia so when he called her and told her that he started feeling what were later identified as COVID-19 symptoms, he assumed it was his yearly effects from seasonal allergies.
Merluzzi remembers the exact details of this call because it was the last time she spoke to her father.
“I haven’t talked to people about this part in a while,” she said through tears.
Kelley rapidly declined, ending up in the hospital on a ventilator before he lost his battle to COVID-19 a week later.
“When people ask me if my dad had pre-existing conditions, I kind of avoid the answer, to be honest, because it doesn’t matter,” Merluzzi explained. “He wouldn’t have died if he didn’t have COVID.”
She said her family was scared, but didn’t want to jump to conclusions since the virus wasn’t as prominent as it is now. When her father was hospitalized, she said that he was out of it, eventually becoming unconscious, so not being able to talk to him on the phone or see him was one of the hardest parts.
“We FaceTimed him but he didn’t know we were there,” she said. “So we said goodbye over the phone.”
Merluzzi said that it felt surreal. Because it all happened so quickly, she was constantly hoping that he would just walk through the door and the whole thing was just a big misunderstanding.
“He went away so quickly and then we were communicating with strangers,” said Merluzzi, who described them as heroic, kind and thoughtful strangers.
When reflecting on the emotional toll that COVID-19 had on her family, she acknowledged how many deaths could have been prevented, advising people to get the vaccine and wear masks.
She noted that because her father was so well-known, she felt as if people took the virus more seriously.
“A lot of people knew him and heard his story,” she said. “If someone that they knew could get touched by this, it made them realize that anybody could.”
She said that people told her that after they heard what happened to her dad, they took the precautions more seriously.
She said that if her dad had to go, then at least his death encouraged people to make better choices and not put themselves and their loved ones at risk.
