Coronavirus Memoriam: Solider Chet Marcus, Teacher Sharon Bascom Made World A Better Place
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - We continue to pay tribute to those we've lost to COVID-19. CBS2's Cindy Hsu shares the stories of a teacher and soldier who made a difference in so many lives.
Chet Marcus
Chet Marcus grew up in Teaneck, N.J., and studied music at Emerson College.
At 31, he joined the Army and worked as a Public Affairs Specialist all over the world including Germany, Haiti and most recently Iraq. Master Sergeant Marcus served for nearly 30 years.
He died from COVID-19 on April 13 at 65 years old.
He adored his wife Oriett, their six sons and his grandchildren. Oriett says Chet was incredibly kind, and always focused on helping others.
His first child, Laurence, tells CBS2 his dad encouraged all his sons to follow their passion and to do it with love.
To help cover funeral expenses, friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe account at gofundme.com/f/honoring-chet-marcus.
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Sharon Bascom
Sharon Bascom grew up in Guyana where she was a teacher.
At 25 years old, she moved to Brooklyn, earned her Master's Degree and taught for more than 20 years - everything from junior high math to kindergarten. Her students called her Miss B.
She passed away from COVID-19 on April 6 at 61 years old.
She leaves behind her husband of more than 20 years and her extended family from Ozone Park Church of the Nazarene.
The congregation took to the streets outside her home trying to comfort her loved ones while social distancing.
Sharon was the matriarch of the family, the oldest of eight sisters and brothers, and she always made everyone feel special.
Her sister Sharolyn told CBS2 if you loved Sharon, you had to be able to share her with a lot of people.
