Daughter remembers local fire captain, one of 1 million Americans who have died from COVID-19

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — Thursday marks one million COVID-19 deaths in the United States, and that means millions more are grieving the loss of a loved one.

That includes the family of Lincoln County Fire Captain Phillip Connor, who lost his battle with COVID-19 just three months ago.

“Today we mark a tragic milestone here in the United States. One million COVID deaths. One million empty chairs around the family dinner table,” President Joe Biden said.

Channel 9′s Ken Lemon spoke to Connor’s daughter who trained alongside him at the South Fork Volunteer Fire Department. She said that some days it’s hard to focus, missing her father’s voice and all the time they spent together.

“I walk through here and I just think of him all the time,” Chaley Connor said. “They say it gets easier but it doesn’t. It never really gets easier.”

Connor said she wills herself to be present at the fire station as she trains to be a volunteer. She said it’s important for her to help save lives like her father did.

>> In the video at the top of the page, Chaley Connor explains how she plans to carry on her father’s legacy.

Federal data shows on average more than 300 Americans are still dying of COVID-19 each day. Estimates show three quarters of those COVID-19-related deaths are in people 65 and older.

(WATCH BELOW: White House: 1 million have died from COVID-19)

White House: 1 million have died from COVID-19 One million Americans have died from COVID-19 since the United States logged its first laboratory-confirmed case in January 2020. (NCD)

©2022 Cox Media Group