Riverside Firefighter Copes With Losing 4 In Family To COVID-19

RIVERSIDE, NJ ­— Ed Kemble is no stranger to having a full house after sharing his Riverside home with family members who all hold a special place in his heart.

But now, Kemble is dealing with the loss of the four he shared his home with after all four died, one by one, after contracting the coronavirus beginning in November.

A GoFundMe effort started by one of Kemble’s friends to help cover funeral costs has raised more than $13,000 as of Friday as Kemble struggles to cope with losing so many loved ones in such a short time.

Kemble told ABC6 in Philadelphia that he took his family members in to care for them and to simply put a roof over their heads. There was his brother, John Kemble, whom he cared for after John, a former EMT worker, lost both of his legs during his battle with diabetes and was confined to a bed.

Kemble’s mother-in-law, Ruth Allen, also lived under the same roof, as did his aunt, Eileen Wolverton, whom ABC6 reported remained active with the Washington Fire Company’s Ladies Auxiliary despite being stricken with stage 4 cancer.

Then, of course, there was Kemble's beloved wife, Barbara, whom he recalled riding around on a fire truck on the day of their wedding, according to ABC6.

Kemble, who works as a volunteer firefighter in Riverside, told the Philadelphia TV station that he is unsure how the coronavirus got into his house.

All of his relatives had their own respective health issues, which increased the risk of contracting the virus. That includes Barbara, who was the most recent of his family members to die, according to media reports. She died in mid-January at the age of 60, after dealing with diabetes, kidney issues and other health complications, according to The Star-Ledger.

"This has been a nightmare come true for the whole family," The GoFundMe page said. "Anything will help."

Kemble, who is 61 and also works as a truck driver, said all of his family members were hospitalized with the virus, according to the Star-Ledger, which limited his contact with them to FaceTime conversations. Kemble told the newspaper that his wife died of a stroke in the hospital after she was the first of his family members to test positive for the coronavirus.

“People should be made aware (the virus) is out there," Kemble told the Star-Ledger. "People (should) keep their distance from one another and obey the rules everyone is saying."

Kemble does his best to stay active to keep his mind from dwelling too much on all of the loss he has encountered of late. He told ABC6 that he hopes to hold a memorial service for his family in the spring or summer when it is safe to do so.

Others are hoping that they can help bring him some closure and spread awareness at the same time.

"Be Safe!" the GoFundMe page said. "This is real!"