Charlie Kilmer

Sunday, December 24, 2023

A funeral home copes with the surge during the coronavirus pandemic

Matt Tauro, Nick Turco, and John Lockhead moved the casket of a woman who died of COVID-19 in East Boston to the hearse parked outside of Ruggiero Family Memorial Home.

Matt Tauro held roses to give to family members at Holy Cross Cemetery for Annette Nazzaro’s funeral. Nazzaro, who lived to be 100, died of COVID-19.

Funeral director Joe Ruggiero Jr. inspected a suit that his daughter, Catie, found hanging in the closet for a client to wear. Because so many people are dying in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, families are not able to get back inside to collect the clothes that they would have dressed their loved ones in for their burial, so Ruggiero has contracted a company to have clothing delivered for burials. In this case, the coat was an old one of his.

Chairs were arranged to allow for social distancing to protect against the spread of coronavirus as funeral service assistant Miguel Vargas set up for a visitation.

Jim Leo, a Deacon at St. John the Evangelist Church in Winthrop, stood beside the casket of a man who died of coronavirus as he waited for the family to arrive for a socially distanced graveside service.

A mourner held a cellphone out to record as she attended Santos A. Rivas’s funeral from inside her car. Due to strict social distancing guidelines, only 10 people are allowed outside of their cars for graveside services at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett.

Vanessa Rivas prayed alongside her mother, Rosa A. Martinez Rivas, and brother Danny A. Rivas during the funeral service for her father, Santos A. Rivas, who died after a battle with COVID-19.

At Ruggiero Family Memorial Home in East Boston, apprentice funeral director Catie Ruggiero looked through a bag of clothing belonging to a man who died of coronavirus. Catie’s father, Joe, had tried to return the bag to the man’s relatives at his funeral, but they asked if he would look through it for fear that it might be contaminated with coronavirus.

Family members of Annette Nazzaro maintain a social distance during her wake at the Ruggiero Family Memorial Home in East Boston. Nazzaro lived to be 100 before succumbing to coronavirus.

Family members embraced as friends and family paid their respects from afar, lining the street in their cars surrounding the gravesite of Santos A. Rivas, who passed away from coronavirus.

Funeral director Joe Ruggiero Jr., founder of his family’s business, Ruggiero Family Memorial Home in East Boston, looked up at the white board full of funerals for the week as he tried to figure out the next day’s staffing beside his daughter, Catie.

After tending to three funerals earlier in the day, funeral director Joe Ruggiero III got a call shortly after 8pm to retrieve the body of a man who had died at home. Ruggiero and assistant funeral director Nick Verrocchi worked together to move the man’s body out of his home in East Boston.

A mourner was reflected in the rearview mirror of his car as he attended Santos A. Rivas’s funeral.

Funeral workers moved a casket out for a funeral as another was brought in to set up for a wake inside Ruggiero Family Memorial Home in East Boston.

Apprentice funeral director Catie Ruggiero sprayed each chair with Lysol following a wake.

Mourners broke down during a wake at Ruggiero Family Memorial Home for Santos A. Rivas.

Matt Tauro, Michaelangelo Gerardi, John Lockhead, and Nick Turco waited for the family to arrive at a graveside funeral held for a man who died of COVID-19.

Catie Ruggiero (left) and Jacqueline Brangiforte, both apprentice funeral directors, transported a body from Melrose Wakefield Hospital.

A mourner held out two phones to FaceTime Santos A. Rivas’s funeral for people who could not be there in person.

Chairs were pushed against the wall to make room for caskets in a makeshift storage area that Ruggiero Family Memorial Home usually uses as a tribute room.

Fr. Eric Bennett prayed over the casket of a man who died of COVID-19. Because the man’s family live in Italy, where they were in lockdown, they were unable to travel here for the funeral. The only other person in attendance was funeral director Joe Ruggiero III. Under normal circumstances the man’s body would have been shipped back to Italy, but because of restrictions put into place due to coronavirus that wasn’t possible.

Funeral director Joe Ruggiero moved a body into a makeshift storage area.

Matt Tauro carried flowers that adorned the casket to the limo so that they could be brought to the cemetery for a graveside service being held for a woman who died of coronavirus.

A message scrawled on the back windshield of a car was seen during Santos A. Rivas’s funeral. The mourner who wrote it wasn’t able to get out of the car to stand beside Rivas’s grave.

A mourner broke down during a wake for Santos A. Rivas at the funeral home.

During a graveside service at Ridgelawn Cemetery in Watertown, flowers were placed on the casket of a woman who died of coronavirus.

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Saturday, December 23, 2023

Boston Globe staff photographer Erin Clark named Feature Photography Pulitzer finalist for 2020

Laya Lupien eats a graham cracker and rests her hand on the door of her family’s tent while trying to escape the summer heat with her brother Dylan (left), mother Mariah, brother Evan, and father Patrick in 2019. The day before, the Lupien family of five was evicted from their home after having their Social Security income taken away, their food stamps reduced, and their rent raised without warning over the span of one year. “Thank you, mommy” said Laya for seemingly no reason. “I really don’t know why you’re thanking me,” said Mariah. “My kids are camping with no roof over their head, and they’re still thankful.”

On the day of their eviction, Mariah LeMieux-Lupien organizes paperwork detailing her children’s behavioral charts and progress while Evan and Dylan play on the couch. All four of Mariah’s children have special needs, and while living in Northern Maine the children were not receiving the education and services they needed, which prompted the family’s move south to Biddeford. “It was really hard going through all the school work from the kids,” Mariah reminisced. “How happy and hard they’ve all worked. They’re kicking ass while I’m barely hanging on as an adult.”

Laya and Evan Lupien take a bath while their parents pack to move out of their three-bedroom apartment after being evicted in Biddeford, Maine. Evan, who has severe ADHD and cognitive issues, was not receiving the one-on-one attention that he needed while living in northern Maine. Oftentimes, he would be placed by himself in a resource room because the school did not know what to do with him.

Mariah closes her eyes after packing a tote in her bedroom while her son Dylan, who has non-verbal autism, sits quietly at her side. “I’m lying here looking at the disheveled living room and kitchen, totes stacked or half full, our lives coming undone,” said Mariah. “But my kids love me, I don’t feel like I deserve any of it. But I’m grateful they do.” With nowhere else to go, the family has reserved a spot in a campground for the unforeseeable future.

Laya and Evan push a tote up the ramp of the U-Haul while their parents, Mariah and Patrick, watch from the porch of their apartment. After about two years of living in Southern Maine, the family is facing homelessness after spending several months teetering on a precarious financial cliff. Their income fell far short of what it costs for a family to get by in Biddeford - $61,000 according to an MIT living wage calculator. Suddenly, the family couldn’t cover their rent. Beginning to panic, they called extended stay motels and shelters across the state and settled with a nearby campground.

Mariah sets up her family’s tent in the waning moonlight next to beachgoers and vacationing families at Shamrock Campground in Biddeford, Maine. The Lupien family would be making the tent their home. “My outer shell is very good at appearing like I’m fine. I’m not. It’s fight or flight that has taken over.....Hopeless, yes, I feel that way. But helpless, no,” said Mariah.

Patrick Lupien brushes his teeth with his son Evan while they get ready for the day in the campground bathroom in the early hours of the morning. Campground life requires a very rigid schedule for the Lupien family. They wake up at 5:30, have cereal for breakfast, drive to the bathroom, and take the children in shifts to wash up and get ready for the day. “Being this poor... this level of poverty means to live in constant fear,” said Mariah. “We’ve been told we’re doing everything right. We’ve taken every piece of advice and acted on it.....doesn’t seem to matter.”

Patrick Lupien sits with his son Evan at their campsite while Laya and Dylan watch movies in the van. With the children’s special needs, Mariah and Patrick have found it difficult to keep an eye on them while living in the campground. Surrounded by a pond and dense forest, the couple has to be abundantly cautious to ensure the children do not wander off.

Dylan Lupien drags his feet while his father Patrick walks him to the bus for summer school. The family made arrangements to have the children picked up from the campground while they made it their home. Throughout their homelessness, it was a priority for the parents to keep their children in school, despite their living situation.

Mariah picks up her son Dylan and holds him close while spending a night at a hotel in Portland paid for by their case manager. Earlier in the day, the Lupiens packed up their tent for good after spending over a month living in campgrounds. After threats from DHHS to have their children taken from them due to unsuitable living conditions, Mariah and her husband chose to move the family to New Hampshire after finally being accepted to a homeless shelter. The decision was a hard one to make, as it would mean leaving Patrick’s job and important services for the children behind. But it meant keeping the family together, which was their number one priority.

Patrick, who had been working as an IT consultant for 12 years, leaves his office on his last day. With the threat of losing their children, and with shelters in the area not able to accept them, Patrick and Mariah chose to abandon everything and move to New Hampshire. “He (Patrick) didn’t know if he was gonna find a job. He had no idea. He was taking a leap. We all were,” said Mariah about the choice to leave Southern Maine. “There was so much unknown. We’ve been here for two years. It’s not working. Everything just keeps getting worse.”

After arriving at the New Hampshire homeless shelter with an uncertain future, Patrick talks with Mariah while Laya eats dinner at the church. Shortly after the move, Patrick began applying for jobs. It was challenging to live within the strict rules and requirements of the program. They had been struggling on their own, but at least they had been in charge. “With homelessness, there’s an incredible amount of loss to deal with,” said Mariah. “It reaches far beyond a home and comforts of safety. There’s a loss of dignity, loss of confidence, loss of security.”

Mariah searches for after-school snacks at the Seacoast Family Promise day house while her son Dylan waits in a highchair. She uses the highchair to keep the 6-year-old, who has non-verbal autism, focused and stationary while eating. For three months, the family rotated through church shelter programs weekly for a place to sleep and eat.

Exhausted, Patrick leans against the bedroom door while his daughter Laya and son Evan jump back and forth on the bed. Often forced to share one room while at a shelter, the family of five needs more space. Two weeks after the family moved south to New Hampshire, Patrick got a job as a field engineer at Granite State Communications. His salary was $80,000, double what he was making in Maine. Now that Patrick had a well-paying job, they turned to the next hurdle: finding an affordable apartment that could comfortably fit their family.

Laya lifts up her arms in her best superwoman pose while she plays with her mother Mariah during one of their last nights at the Seacoast Family Promise shelter. The family found an apartment and are leaving shelter life. “ It feels scary, odd, unreal, and totally amazing all at the same time,” Mariah said.

Evan plays on the ramp of the moving truck while the Lupiens move into their new apartment. After being homeless since July, with most of the family’s belongings in storage, he was excited to be reunited with his scooter.

Dylan holds a children’s microphone to his ear while feeling the vibrations during the move into their new home. Sometimes, when they are in the van for too long, Dylan’s brother Evan thinks they’re moving again. “It’s still very twilight. It still doesn’t feel real,” Mariah said.

Dylan wraps himself around his mother in a tight hug on their first morning at their new apartment. The family has been living in the apartment for a little over a week. The floors are carpeted and the kids have bunk beds. Mariah and Patrick are trying to get used to the larger paychecks, the locks on the doors, and the feeling that their family might be safe for a while.

Frosty the Snowman plays in the background while Mariah hands a branch to her son Evan as they set up their Christmas tree in the living room. With boxes still left to unpack, the Lupien family is slowly settling into their new apartment. “Between the better paying job and learning how to manage what we have, has left us with a new and quite strange feeling of not needing to panic,” said Mariah. “The sadness and shame from not being able to provide as well as we have wanted to, that well worn path in my brain, all that energy can be rerouted to somewhere else.”

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Photos: One day on the front lines of COVID-19

Monday, 9:23 a.m. EMT Emily Moran of Melrose and paramedic Ricky Cormio of Medford lifted an elderly patient who had a fever, a possible sign of COVID-19, onto a stretcher for transport to Mass General Hospital, their second call of the day.

Monday, 11:15 a.m. Emily, Ricky, and EMT Mike O’Hara of Melrose helped placed a blanket on a woman who tested positive for COVID-19, as they prepared to transport her to the hospital.

Monday, 12:03 p.m. With a break in between calls, Ricky disinfected the door handles that lead from the garage to the break room. He worked his way around the break room wiping off the couches, the coffee table, and all the surfaces that paramedics and EMTs frequently come into contact with as a safety measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Monday, 2:44 p.m. Emily and Ricky wheeled an intoxicated and combative patient into Everett Hospital.

Monday, 4:05 p.m. Emily and Ricky drove into a parking lot crowded with ambulances outside of Mass. General Hospital as they transported a patient from MGH Chelsea Urgent Care who was exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.

Monday, 5:09 p.m. Ricky stood by the doors as he watched for his partner to back the ambulance into the garage.

Monday, 2:26 p.m. An intoxicated woman covered her face as she argued with Everett Police officers and Emily about going to the hospital.

Monday, 1:48 p.m. Emily leaned in to check on a patient’s breathing after he got nervous and pulled over to call 911 from his car because he felt short of breath. The man refused to go to the hospital to be checked out. “He said he’d rather take his chances than go to the hospital with all the virus around,” Emily said. She later explained that there has been a lot of anxiety recently because of coronavirus.

Monday, 5:23 p.m. During a break between calls, Emily found time for a quick snack and Ricky filled out reports on his computer as Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh was interviewed live on CNN about Boston’s response to the coronavirus.

Monday, 5:30 p.m. Emily arrived at the door of a call.

Monday, 5:36 p.m. As Emily secured a patient to a stretcher, a woman inside the home called out to say that he doesn’t have the coronavirus because he hasn’t had a fever.

Monday, 5:38 p.m. A gust of wind caught the plastic gown that Ricky used for protection as Emily reached out to fasten the ties so that he can get in the back of the ambulance with a patient. A woman in the patient’s home had shouted out to tell them that he did not have coronavirus, but they presume that anyone they help might be positive for COVID-19.

Monday, 6:04 p.m. After helping to take a patient into the Melrose Wakefield Hospital Emergency Room, Emily returned to clean off every item that was used on the call. She sprayed disinfectant on a stair chair that was used to move the patient out of his home.

Monday, 6:48 p.m. People watched from their windows as a suspected coronavirus patient was taken out of their apartment building on a stretcher and loaded into the ambulance.

Monday, 6:47 pm - Cormio lifted a patient who was suspected to have coronavirus or COVID-19 into the back of the ambulance.

Monday, 7:12 p.m. Ricky chatted with his wife, Tessa, who is seven months pregnant and works inside at CHA Everett Hospital as he disinfected the stretcher after dropping a patient off at the emergency room there during his 24-hour shift. The couple kept their distance out of concerns over COVID-19.

Monday, 7:26 p.m. Ricky placed an order for dinner at a restaurant still doing takeout during his 24-hour shift.

Monday, 7:29 p.m. Emily and Ricky left CHA Everett Hospital only to be turned around after driving a few blocks to transport a patient from the Everett hospital to Beth Israel.

Monday, 9:25 pm - Cormio walked back to the kitchen inside the break room at Cataldo after finally having a chance to sit down and eat dinner.

Monday, 9:26 pm - Fellow EMT Steve Leonard (R) joked that he bought Moran (L) a cake for her birthday, which in reality had been donated to the station by a local bakery as she and Cormio took a break.

Monday, 10:16 p.m. Emily filled out reports during a lull in their 24-hour shift.

Monday, 10:17 p.m. EMT Mike O’Hara napped between calls in the Cataldo break room.

Monday, 11:04 p.m. Emily and Mike O’Hara stood outside of a call for an unstable person while Ricky was inside with a Malden police officer talking to the person and making sure he wasn’t posing a threat to himself or others.

Tuesday, 1:27 a.m. A long exposure caused the emblems on the back of the ambulance to blur en route to a call in Somerville.

Tuesday, 1:36 a.m. Ricky put on his N95 mask to protect himself from coronavirus as he escorted a patient to the ambulance.

Tuesday, 6:50 a.m. Ricky (right) handed off his radio to the next crew as his shift came to an end.

Tuesday, 6:59 a.m. Emily and Ricky said goodbye to a fellow EMT as they headed home at the end of their 24-hour shift.

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