The following was sent on April 8, 2020 from South Orange Village President Sheena Collum; read more about Mr. Empestan and his family here.
April 8, 2020
Neighbors,
It is with a heavy heart and profound sadness that I inform you we have lost a member of our South Orange community to COVID-19. With permission from the family, I share with you his name: Roehl Cosio Empestan.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, please join us in prayers for his family – his amazing wife Jessi and their two beautiful children.
This tragic loss to our community brings home not only the gravity of this deadly virus, but the responsibility we residents have for the well-being of our neighbors as well as our families and ourselves. The individual choices we make—to stay at home, to wear protective gear, including cloth masks, when we absolutely must go out—these actions are needed to save lives. This is a shared responsibility and a promise we must make to one another.
As of 4:00 p.m. today, April 8, we can report that of those South Orange residents who have gained access to available testing, 46 test results have been positive and 40 have been negative. We now have one tragic loss of life.
Sheena Collum
Village President
