A local family whose father, Ron Massingale, died from COVID-19 is bringing joy to others over the holidays.
“A great dad,” said Ronnie Massingale, his son. “He was with us every step of our lives. “Loving on us. Doing his best to raise us right.”
It’s been about 10 days that Ronnie Massingale and his siblings, Laura Hayne and Bryan Massingale, have been without their dad.
Ron Massingale died from COVID-19 one month after being diagnosed.
He spent his final days in the care of the staff at Atrium Health.
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“The amount of care and love and stuff that they poured into him is amazing,” Ronnie Massingale said.
In lieu of flowers, they’ve been asking for donations for the frontline workers who cared for their dad, kept them informed and helped them video chat and speak with him every day.
“The nurses at Atrium, they loved on him when we couldn’t be there,” Ronnie Massingale said. “We would talk to him on a daily basis.”
“Even though he couldn’t talk to us on a ventilator, we could at least see him and see how he was doing and that meant so much to us,” Bryan said.
“To think they’re doing this each and every day,” Ronnie Massingale said. “Our journey was a month, and we didn’t get the answer that we wanted. Things didn’t work out, but those people are still tirelessly pouring in to people just like Dad.”
“I can’t imagine the mental toll that’s taking on them,” Bryan said. “It’s not over yet and we just want to do everything that we can to really help them, especially this time of year.”
Family members said it’s what their dad would’ve wanted.
“He poured into people,” Ronnie Massingale said. “He invested. He wanted to see them better off after they met Ron Massingale, so to be able to do that even after he’s gone is exciting for us. It’s an honor to be able to give back to them.”
They’ve received more than $6,000 in donations.
If you’d like to donate, you can click here.
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