Coronavirus Memoriam: Remembering Revered Public Servants Rick Vanderclock And Kious Kelly
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- CBS2 is continuing our series honoring the people we've lost to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the latest installment, reporter Jessica Moore pays tribute to two public servants whose legacies will live on forever.
Rick Vanderclock's family describes him as a larger than life jokester and their North Star.
The 71-year-old retired New Jersey state trooper and his wife raised two sons in Wayne who are also police officers.
His focus was family, service, and respect. Rick taught his boys to always look people in the eye and never shake a man's hand sitting down.
MORE: Coronavirus Memoriam: Remembering Court Officer Tommy Carney, NYPD Officer J.C. Reese
He lived for his family, never missed one of his boys' football games, and adored his four grandchildren, who called him their best friend.
Vanderclock's sickness on March 12 came as a shock. By March 21 he was in the hospital, where he spent 21 days in a coma before passing away on April 13.
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Kious Kelly
The 48-year-old was described as a warrior who led by example in his career as a nurse manager at Mount Sinai West Hospital.
Kelly's sister remembered him as her brilliant, quick-witted big brother, who she witnessed literally giving the shirt off his back to a needy patient.
He often worked seven days a week, and lived by the motto: "If you're going to do something, do it right."
Kious knowingly put himself in harm's way to help COVID-19 patients at Mount Sinai, and never complained about what he considered his life's calling.
Kelly got sick on March 18, and just six days later the virus that he helped others successfully battle every day, took his life.
Vanderclock and Kelly were public servants who gave their all to the communities they loved. Both of whom leave behind lasting legacies of love.