Illinois coronavirus: Springfield grandmother’s obituary targets unvaccinated

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WLS) – A lower-state grandmother’s obituary sends a strong message to those who have chosen not to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Candace Ayers, 66, of Springfield died of COVID earlier in September. According to her son, she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. The family was relieved when they were fully immunized against the coronavirus in the spring.

But after taking a trip to Mississippi in July to console a friend who had lost her husband, Ayers tested positive for COVID.

She was hospitalized and then transferred to intensive care and spent the last three weeks of her life on a ventilator, her family said.

In his obituary, his family wrote that Ayers “was vaccinated but was infected by others who chose not to be.” They said “the price was his life.”

Ayers’ son said his mother’s legacy was already having an impact and that he had received messages from people who had planned to be vaccinated after hearing their story.