Grappling with grief, N.B. man and fiance forced to take care of family farm as COVID-19 strikes family
Joe Gee looks out over the sprawling, sun-soaked farm in the west-central New Brunswick community of Carlingford, which has been in his family for generations.
His father, Allison Gee, spent his entire life farming here alongside his own father and his brother – a man with a strong work ethic and determination who never quite retired, working in the fields here into his early seventies.
"My father, he's been saying for the last 10 years, he's been saying it's going to be his last year growing corn, it's going to be my last year growing vegetables," says his son. "This year he said, this is my last year for sure, and he was right."
His father was hospitalized at the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville after contracting COVID-19, and on Friday, he passed away – one of the now 68 New Brunswickers to have died from the virus since the start of the pandemic.
In his obituary, it describes a kind man, a proud husband, father and grandfather, who "loved his family, taking road trips, farming, peddling vegetables, working in the woods and passing his legacy onto his grandson."
"You just rely on social media to say goodbye, and it's the same social media that was used by conspiracy theorists to perpetuate misinformation, so there's a lot of irony there," says Gee.
His uncle remains in hospital with COVID-19 and Gee says although he is stable and doing okay, doctors do not know how long he'll need to stay hospitalized.
Gee and his fiancé, Tracey, are the only ones in the family who have been vaccinated – and as he grapples with grief – he's left to take care of the family farm.
"The snow's going to be flying pretty soon, and there's hay to haul, there's corn to harvest, there's wood to get in – all those things that my father and my uncle would be doing right now."
In the wake of his father's death, he's working on a lawn sign campaign, so that people who are fully vaccinated can display their status outside of their home if they wish.
It's a push to encourage those who are able to, to get vaccinated, and a campaign that for Gee, is deeply personal.
"People driving down the road thinking, 'no one's getting vaccinated, I'm not getting vaccinated, when you're driving down the road and you see house after house after house of all these families who got themselves vaccinated to protect our community – you're going to feel like a minority."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.