Kentucky man dies of COVID-19 a day after he was scheduled to receive vaccine

FORT THOMAS, Ky. (LEX 18) — Steve Brown knew he would love his wife until his dying days.

When his wife, Helen, suddenly passed away of a heart attack in 1993, he purchased two plots side-by-side.

Brown’s daughter, Molly said her dad’s love burned just as bright when he died of COVID-19 at 68 years old.

“My dad wore his wedding ring in his last breath,” Molly said. “His commitment to my mom was better than any romance novel.”

Molly said her dad’s fight with the coronavirus was quick.

He started feeling sick on Aug. 27, the same day he was scheduled to get his COVID-19 vaccine.

“Dad was having a lot of trouble breathing, like, almost gasping for breath,” she said.

He was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Fort Thomas where he was put on a ventilator upon arrival.

Brown died hours later.

Molly said nurses told her Brown seemed to be at peace when he passed away.

“I know Mom had to have come to call him home to her,” she said. “I’m hanging on to the fact that the greatest love story ever has another chapter.”

Molly has two missions to honor her father.

“If anybody is listening who is on the fence about getting the vaccine, just go like run, don’t walk. Get it,” she said.

Molly said when the vaccine initially came out, Brown wanted to get it, but the spread of misinformation scared him.

“He actually made the comment that if he got the vaccine it would kill him,” she said.

Unvaccinated Americans make up the majority of those hospitalized with COVID-19.

Molly is urging those who are hesitant to hear her father’s story and get the shot.

“If even one person chooses to get vaccinated based on my dad’s story, then he didn’t die in vain,” she said.

Her second mission is to keep a promise.

“I told him that if he did go, I would see to it he was buried next to Mom and I would get them the most beautiful double headstone ever,” Molly said.

The plot at St. Stephen’s Cemetery is already paid for, but Molly said they need to raise thousands of dollars to pay for the burial.

The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help fulfill Brown’s final wish. You can help by visiting here.