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Grief in the Time of COVID-19
By Hettie V. Williams
My Dad Freddie G. Williams, Sr. died, of complications associated with cancer, on the morning of March 22, 2020 at his home in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey amid the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was my hero, and I loved him deeply, though our relationship was complex and, at times, complicated. Daddy knew that I was always his little girl — and a bit of a brat! Dad also led an adventurous life and I have always thought of him as a Renaissance man in that he had many jobs/professions. He was a brilliant thinker and debater and it was from him that I gained an appreciation for ideas about human freedom. Dad was also a jovial person and possessed of a wry wit. He was making wisecracks until the end at age 80.
Jim Crow segregation stood as a barrier to some of Dad’s dreams; but, yet, he continued to dream big. He always wanted to be a soldier so he became one.
He was a Vietnam Veteran and a member of the elite Green Berets, during the height of the Vietnam conflict from 1967–1968, as a soldier with the 101st Airborne Division. He taught me how to think and argue. And, from him, I gained a love of a great story and history.