Coronavirus Memoriam: Remembering Determined Jimmy O'Hara And Dedicated Mitsu Salador
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- CBS2 is continuing its series honoring victims of the coronavirus pandemic. Reporter Jessica Moore looks back at the lives of two people who fought against the odds to live their best lives.
Jimmy O'Hara was best known for his patience, determination, magnetic smile, and infectious laugh. He was born with multiple disabilities, but he never let his physical limitations limit his quality of life.
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He was known as the heart of his family, growing up in Fresh Meadows, Queens with his parents and five siblings. Jimmy loved working puzzles, rug hooking, and dancing, and he never turned down a bag of Lay's potato chips.
His sister, Kathleen, said Jimmy taught her endurance and to always see the silver lining in life.
Jimmy got sick at the end of March, when coronavrius swept through his group home in Little Neck. He died on April 19 at the age of 56.
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Mitsu Salador
The 96-year-old was described as the sweetest, most caring woman you could ever know, with a heart of gold.
The former nurse and teacher survived a Japanese internment camp during World War II, even treating some of the same soldiers who interred her family.
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Mitsu stayed active until the end. As a member of the "Silver Sneakers Club," she attended aerobics classes at her local YMCA in West Islip, and loved gardening, growing her own fresh fruits and vegetables.
Mitsu was an avid news watcher who loved family dinners and making her own sushi.
Her grandson said nothing made Mitsu prouder than her two children, six grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
Mitsu got sick on April 14 and died a week later.
O'Hara and Salador were very special members of their families and communities, whose legacies will never be forgotten.
