Tribute for deaf people who passed away from coronavirus: PART 1

RENCA DUNN (Daily Moth Reporter): 

Over the summer, The Daily Moth has collected stories of Deaf people who lost their lives due to the coronavirus. We have made a video tribute to recognize and remember some of them. 

We will share three stories today. We will give tributes to more deaf people in two other videos this week. 

These stories were shared with us from family members, friends, or a close acquaintance of a person who passed away. 

SHERYL EMERY (friend of Joyce Davis): 

My friend, Joyce Davis — this is her sign name — died in March 2020 from the coronavirus. Joyce lived in the city of Detroit, Michigan. She was a teacher, a social worker, and a cosmetologist. My favorite memory of us together is when she came to our home after we got shrimp, corn, sausage, and vegetable and put it all in a boiling pot to make a seafood boil. We both really enjoy eating and having our fill. We often went to the market to buy fresh food such as vegetables, fruit, and seafood on Saturdays. Joyce loved to go to church, loved to worship, and loved to sing. So I think people will remember her by her love for God and for her faith. 

DOROTHY COHLER (friend of Susan (McAssey) DeVito): 

Susan’s last name before she was married was McAssey. She was born on October 7, 1948. She grew up in Brooklyn and had two brothers. She went to the JHS #47 School for the Deaf. She graduated there in 1964. To be clear, that was up to the 9th grade. She went to a local high school. Later in life, she moved to Queens. She met her deaf husband, Anthony DeVito, who had a deaf brother, Rocco, who was from Virginia. They moved to New Jersey and had two daughters and five grandchildren. She enjoyed time with her family and grandchildren. I met Susan from time to time and she always talked about her children and grandchildren, memories of #47, and about her life with her husband. Her family and friends miss her and the memories will be in their hearts forever. She died on March 28 2020 at the age of 71. 

[Sponsored Video from Convo: https://bit.ly/2RyMogR] 

TONY MAUCERE (Son of Maria Maucere): 

Hello! I want to tell you about my dear mom, Maria. She was born in Sicily, Italy. She is the second oldest among her siblings. She went to a Catholic school and when she was 30, she moved to America and met my father. One year later, they got married. She worked all of her life until she was 70. She would always share stories of when she witnessed World War II when Germany overran Italy. She would tell stories to my friends whenever I brought them over. I would have to be very patient as she retold the story and took an hour, and she would do this again and again, including when I brought over my ex-girlfriend. I would have to walk behind her to tell my mother to stop talking. She would be like, “Oh okay, I’ll be finished soon,” but still talk. I really loved my mother. She was very good at cooking Italian food. She was the best at cooking meatballs. There is no equal with her food, it is really champ. I miss you mom. I love you. You are always in my heart. ILY mom. 

RENCA DUNN: 

Thank you for sharing. Our hearts are with the family and friends of those who have departed. On Wednesday, we will share more stories.