Indianapolis Memorial To Those Who Died From COVID-19

Mayor Joe Hogsett and City-County Councillor Keith Potts hosted a virtual memorial Tuesday to honor the more than 9,000 Hoosiers who are confirmed to have died from COVID-19.

Potts reflected on the community support he received after his personal losses.

“My family, like so many, lost two members to COVID-19, just a few weeks apart, in the month of December. I’m grateful for a community that supports me and my family, and I wish that for every Hoosier who’s experiencing the devastation of this pandemic, personally, or just watching it happen in the world," Potts said.

The memorial included recent graduate of North Central High School Sami Loggan, who remembered her father Paul Loggan. He was the athletic director at North Central High School and died in April.

“I have times where I come home from college and all I want to do is drive to his office and see him, but I can’t," Loggan said. "But I am not alone in this hard time. The whole support from the community was amazing. With over 100 schools turning on their stadium lights in honor of my father’s legacy, [that] showed me the impact and the legacy he left.”

While reflecting on the global impact of the pandemic, Hogsett said the loss of life is our greatest loss.

“Tonight we reflect on those members of our Hoosier family. And we reflect on those members of our American family whom we have lost. And in our thoughts, in our prayers, and with our deepest sympathy are the ones they leave behind.”

Hogsett also spoke to health care workers and said they have responded heroically, with selfless courage.

“They molded the behavior that will see us through to the end of this challenging time,” Hogsett said.

As of the last report from the Indiana Department of Health, the state has confirmed 595,436 COVID-19 cases. The total lives lost to the virus in Indiana was counted Tuesday at 9,092.