Since the start of the pandemic over One Million people have died of covid. That’s One Million empty chairs around the dinner table and One Million families whose lives will never be the same. Most families didn’t get to say goodbye to their loved ones, most died alone in hospitals and so many didn’t get a proper burial because we weren’t allowed any gatherings.

My perfectly healthy 69 year old dad, Harry Griesser was one of the Million that died of covid. He died alone in the hospital on January 25, 2021 after being there for 19 days. My dad loved life and his family. He was one of my very best buddies, my business partner, and the greatest pop pop and friend to all who knew him. To know him was to love him. Our lives will never be the same and nothing will ever fix our broken hearts.

Currently there no national COVID memorials honoring those that have died in the U.S. nor are their any plans for one aside from the temporary displays of flags and flowers that have gone up in the past. My goal is to change that! As our President stated once the death toll hit One million, “As a nation, we must not grow numb to such sorrow. To heal, we must remember." What better way than to have a National Holiday?

I am making it my goal to honor not only my dad but all of those that died of covid. For me, it’s a start of the healing process. One of my many goals is to first create a state holiday that will then be approved on a national level to honor all those that have past away from covid. Regardless of ones feelings of covid let’s never forget all of the dads, moms, brothers, sisters, grandparents, coworkers, neighbors and friends that lost their lives to covid. Let this start as a healing process for all the families that lost loved ones. As many of you go back to your “normal” pre covid lives think of all of us that have lost someone and never get to go back to “normal”. Please sign and share this petition in support of creating a Covid Memorial Day. 

Three dates I have in mind are

March 11th the day the World Health Organization declared coronavirus as a pandemic

March 15th states begin to shutdown to stop the spread

January 23rd the day with the highest death toll with over 16,500 people