RIVERSIDE, NJ – Ed Kemble is no stranger to having a full house after sharing his Riverside home with family members who all hold a special place in his heart.
But now Kemble is dealing with the loss of the four with whom he shared his home after all four died, one by one, after contracting the coronavirus from November.
A GoFundMe effort started by one of Kemble’s friends to cover funeral expenses has raised more than $ 13,000 as of Friday as Kemble struggles to cope with the loss of so many loved ones in such a short time.
Kemble told ABC6 in Philadelphia that he took his relatives into the home to take care of them and simply put a roof over their heads. There was his brother, John Kemble, who he took care of after John, a former EMT employee, lost both legs during his battle with diabetes and had to be held to bed.
Kemble’s mother-in-law, Ruth Allen, also lived under the same roof, as did his aunt, Eileen Wolverton, whom ABC6 reported remained active with the Washington Fire Company’s Ladies Auxiliary despite being stricken with stage 4 cancer.
Then, of course, there was Kemble’s beloved wife, Barbara, whom he remembered driving around in a fire truck on the day of their wedding, according to ABC6.
Kemble, who works as a volunteer firefighter in Riverside, told the Philadelphia television station he isn’t sure how the coronavirus got into his home.
All of his relatives had health problems of their own, which increased the risk of contracting the virus. So does Barbara, who, according to media reports, was the most recent of his relatives to die. She died in mid-January at the age of 60, after dealing with diabetes, kidney problems and other health complications, according to The Star-Ledger.
“This is a nightmare that comes true for the whole family,” said the GoFundMe page. “Everything will help.”
Kemble, who is 61 and also works as a truck driver, said all of his family members were hospitalized with the virus, according to the Star-Ledger, who limited his contact with them to FaceTime calls. Kemble told the newspaper that his wife died of a stroke in hospital after being the first of his family members to test positive for the coronavirus.
“People need to be made aware (the virus) is there,” Kemble told the Star-Ledger. “People (should) keep their distance from each other and obey the rules that everyone says.”
Kemble does his best to stay active to avoid dwelling too much on all the loss he’s suffered lately. He told ABC6 that he hopes to hold a memorial service for his family in the spring or summer when it is safe.
Others hope they can help shut him down while raising awareness.
“Be safe!” said the GoFundMe page. “This is real!”