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COVID memorial held in Shore Road Park

June 15, 2021 Jaime DeJesus

Attendees at the COVID memorial service hosted by Bay Ridge Cares.

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Non-profit group Bay Ridge Cares hosted a memorial service June 12 for victims of COVID-19.

The service was held in Shore Road Park on 79th Street and included inspirational performances and a string quartet.

Community affairs officers, neighborhood coordinating officers and patrol officers of the 68th Precinct joined elected officials, clergy and community members at the emotional gathering.

Religious leaders and first responders shared their memories of the pandemic with attendees.

There was also a display of names of those who died and a reading of their names. Candles were provided.

Lauren Lockwood held a photo of her father Artie Nelson, a bartender at J.J. Bubbles who died in April 2020.

Bay Ridge Cares hosted a COVID-19 memorial in Shore Road Park Photos courtesy of 68th Precinct Facebook

“He was loved by many people,” Lockwood said. “We are here today to honor him and all that have been lost to this tragedy and we are here to keep his memory living on.”

Lockwood said her father was “like the mayor of Bay Ridge.”

“He touched so many people,” she said. “He had a ton of friends and family. We are never going to get over this. People say everything is coming back and it’s the same. It will never be the same for us. It’s just a hole in your heart that’s never going to heal.”

“Thank you to everyone who joined us last night to honor those we lost to COVID over the past 15 months,” Bay Ridge Cares said in a statement. “We have a long way to go, but the families who joined us last night were so grateful for the opportunity to grieve with their neighbors, friends and families.”