Alvin M. Keeling 
Reverend Vickey Gibbs
Courtesy of Shannon Young
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Courtesy of Shannon Young
Reverend Vickey Gibbs
Courtesy of Shannon Young
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Two years later, more than one million people have died in the United States from the disease. To put a face to this number and honor those who have passed away, NPR asked our audience to share songs that reminded them of a loved one lost to COVID-19. What follows are individual stories of those who passed away, those who mourn them, and the songs that continue to unite them.
When I started working at Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church in Houston and met Vickey, the associate pastor, so she could show me the ropes, I knew we would be friends. Once we broke the ice and discovered that we both love cooking and eating good food, everything clicked and we discovered that we had a lot of other things in common. Every time I hear the song “For Good” by Wicked, I think of my friend. Her outlook on life and the way she lived her faith will forever impact me, and I am changed because I knew her. —Shannon Young, friend
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