The Betty Ehart Senior Center is hosting a special memorial Nov. 1 to honor those lost to COVID-19. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen/LARSO 

By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
Executive Director
LARSO

Sometimes we need to come together, in small numbers, to honor the past, and perhaps just try to embrace the future. COVID-19 stole many opportunities from members of our community.

Monday Nov. 1, the Betty Ehart Senior Center will try and help some folks pay tribute to those we’ve lost. A memorial will be held at the Los Alamos senior center, as they carry out their event with a limited capacity.

We will respect COVID protocols, safe distances, masks and requiring those who enter to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

We had several members who either lost someone and didn’t feel safe to hold a funeral, or lost someone far away and didn’t feel safe to travel.

The event will require a reservation to secure a seat by calling 505.662.8920. Pastor Keith Lewis of the United Church will lead the service 2-3 p.m. followed by the opportunity for the public to walk through the showcase, “Those We’ve Lost.”, 3-4 p.m. also in limited numbers.

If you have lost someone, feel free to email a photo and a story to Director@losalamosseniorcenter.com. If you know someone in the community we have lost, feel free to send your words to share. Please include your name, but it can be withheld from the public reading. The words will be shared with family members. We have a few people who are away, yet their loved ones were a vibrant part of this community. Some of those names include Del Dyche, Glenna Louise DeLay Carlson and Houston “Terry” Hawkins.

The Betty Ehart and White Rock senior centers also will launch new, small pantries to salute the first person each center lost after the pandemic began in March of 2020. The Betty Ehart center will honor Patsy Casias with “Patsy’s Pantry” and the White Rock center will honor member Lisa Giveler with Giveler’s Grocery. The cabinets are sponsored by The Finishing Touch and the first will be displayed soon. The hope is that community members will bring items that can be passed along to seniors in need, right in our own community.

I have some great community partners who have pulled together to help us provide a respectable event. Ken Hendricks from Home Instead will provide music, Gillian Sutton from Flowers by Gillian will provide arrangements, and Rivera Funeral Homes will provide a thoughtful keepsake.

It is when we come together as a community that shows our CommUNITY. We hope to demonstrate more of that throughout the season.