From a distance, the numerous pinwheels set in the hillside at Warwick County Park on the weekend of March 27 and 28 may have resembled a unique art installation. However, the meaning of the display was more poignant. The pinwheels were set in place as a makeshift memorial to residents of Chester County who lost their lives to COVID-19.
In addition to Warwick County Park, pinwheels were also installed at Springton Manor Farm in Glenmoore and at Nottingham Park. The memorial tributes marked one year since Chester County recorded its first coronavirus death.
At each of the locations, a sign was posted near the memorial with a quote by poet Thomas Campbell that read, "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die."
Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline held a special memorial service at Springton Manor Farm in Glenmoore on March 27, where they laid three wreaths - one to honor the 543,975 lives lost nationally; one for the 24,953 lives lost across Pennsylvania; and one to commemorate the 747 lives lost in Chester County. Under the Springton Manor Farm great oak tree, 747 pinwheels were displayed - one for each life lost in Chester County since the start of the pandemic.
"Our family, those who we worked with and members of our community - we miss them," said Moskowitz. "We hope this ceremony will serve as part of the collective healing for our Chester County community."
Moskowitz shared how she coped with losing her sister seven years ago. "My wish is that you remember their smiles, remember their stories, remember something funny they said or did," she stated. "Remember their history, their shared memories. Remember they loved you, and even with tears in your eyes and pain in your heart, remember to smile when you think of them."
Maxwell said that it was fitting that the memorials were located in the parks. "We know that our parks and trails and the many other conservancies and preserves throughout Chester County have been a haven for fresh air, for exercise and for switching off the outside world part time to enjoy nature," he noted.
In addition to remembering those that lost their lives, Maxwell gave credit to health care workers. "By the very nature of their professions, our doctors, our nurses, hospital staff, long-term care personnel and EMTs all understand and accept that sometimes their jobs go beyond diagnosis, treatment and care," he said.
Kichline concluded the ceremony, quoting a passage from the book "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" by Charlie Mackesy: "'What do we do when our hearts hurt?' asked the boy. 'We wrap them with friendship, shared tears and time (until) they wake hopeful and happy again.'"
To view the entire memorial ceremony, visit http://www.facebook.com/ChesCoGovt and search for the post from March 27.
Chester County has also created a web page dedicated to honoring the memory of those who died of COVID-19, encouraging residents to leave messages, memories and names of family members, friends or colleagues whom they have lost. The memorial web page can be found at http://www.chesco.org/memorial.
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