” Numerous, like John, made statements early on not completely familiar with the intensity of COVID-19,” his grieving widow said.
Posted on April 23, 2020, at 1: 26 p.m. ET.
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Lisa McDaniel is not only grieving the death of her partner of 31 years, John, however she is also handling a “floodgate” of public backlash versus his social media posts that had actually expressed hesitation about the coronavirus.
After his old posts went viral and were gotten by numerous media outlets, she and her family even had to cancel plans to livestream his funeral service online.
” We will never be able to eliminate from our hearts and minds the negative posts that have actually been made and shared about John this previous week,” Lisa said in a declaration.
John McDaniel, 60, of Marion, Ohio, passed away “peacefully” at a health center on April 15 after suffering complications from COVID-19, according to an obituary shared by the family’s funeral home.
McDaniel was a huge OSU fan who loved the outdoors and fishing, smoking cigars, taking selfies in nature, and entertaining his family and friends with his jokes, stories, and music.
He was about to be a father-in-law as both his boys were engaged.
And he was eagerly anticipating constructing a household cabin on more than 50 acres of land in Marion County, where he and Lisa had actually prepared to enjoy their retirement years.
Those strategies were cut short when McDaniel was diagnosed with COVID-19 and died.
But as his family grieve the precious dad, partner, uncle, and bro, they are likewise dealing with the fallout of McDaniel’s social networks posts from March in which he appeared to criticize the Ohio governor’s stay-at-home orders and suggested that COVID-19 was “a political tactic.”
” If what I’m hearing holds true, that [Gov. Mike] DeWine has actually bought all bars and dining establishments to be closed, I State Bullshit!” McDaniel supposedly said in one post. “He does not have that authority. If you are paranoid about getting ill just do not head out. It should not keep those of us from living our lives.”
Another post stated, “Does anyone have the guts to state this Covid19 is a political ploy? Asking for a pal. Show me incorrect.”
McDaniel’s now-deleted posts were reported by several news outlets and commonly shared on social networks following his death from COVID-19
#Ohio man John McDaniel– who railed on social media versus @GovMikeDeWine’s lockdown order and published, “I Say Bullshit! (DeWine) does not have that authority”– contracted #coronavirus weeks later and now has DIED from #COVID19
#CoronavirusPandemic.
https://t.co/hqQzA19 Igm
RIP John W. McDaniel from Ohio, who posted this on March 15 & & has now regretfully died from #coronavirus.
Let his death be a warning to everybody else who wants to be ‘living our lives’ & & overlook lockdowns – it might END your life.
With social distancing restricting the variety of people who could attend his funeral service, McDaniel’s household had actually planned to livestream his service on Facebook so that others might grieve and pay tribute to him.
However on Wednesday, Lisa McDaniel said the family chose not to livestream the funeral “to protect my household and John’s legacy.”
In a statement published to the Snyder Funeral House’s Facebook page, Lisa advised other households to abide by stay-at-home orders to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.
However she also described how her mourning family would “never ever be able to erase” the unfavorable things individuals had actually stated about her spouse after his death.
” Numerous, like John, made declarations early on not totally familiar with the seriousness of COVID-19; numerous have retracted their statements understanding now the effects of this pandemic,” Lisa wrote.
” We understand if John was still here with us he would acknowledge the nationwide crisis we are in, comply with the stay-at-home order, and encourage friends and family to do the very same,” she said. “But regretfully he is not with us and we will permanently have to live and handle how his life ended far too soon.”
She said that her other half had ordered his company to work from house on March 16 and that he “instantly self-isolated” as quickly as he found out that he had actually been in contact with someone who had actually checked positive for the disease.
” As each day passes, we all are discovering more about this ‘invisible opponent,” Lisa wrote.
After McDaniel was diagnosed with COVID-19, some members of his family, including his dad and sister, included “staying at home, conserving lives” badges to their Facebook profile pictures while requesting prayers for McDaniel.
3 days after his death, hundreds gathered outside the Ohio Statehouse to object DeWine’s stay-at-home orders– one of several similar presentations in multiple states versus lockdown orders that have ended up being politically divisive.
In his obituary, his family thanked the nurses and health center staff who attempted to conserve McDaniel’s life and urged everyone “to continue practicing social distancing to keep each other safe.”
” Throughout this time of grieving, John’s story, in addition to early assumptions that he specified on Twitter and Facebook have actually developed into nationwide news,” Lisa said. “This news has opened the flood gates for people to share their own misdirected anger and unproven assumptions about a male they don’t know.”
That male was “an ornery son-of-a-gun and was frequently the very first to break a joke no matter the celebration,” McDaniel’s obituary read.
He and Lisa had understood each most of their lives having actually been good friends in school. Their first date was on Aug. 27, 1987, and they were married simply over a year later.
” The cancer diagnosis that John had gotten just months before could not stop them. They were partners in crime, sharing 31 years of love and enjoyable together,” his obituary stated.
McDaniel was an entertaining writer who had a “flair for telling a story that ‘properly replaced’ the history of special, memorable moments.”
He spent much of his life in boats, fishing, drinking, and telling stories, specifically in his favorite location for 50 years– his family cabin in Ontario, Canada.
He loved the outdoors and frequently pretended to be searching when he “was really taking selfies,” his family stated in the obituary.
McDaniel, who graduated from Ohio State University in 1981, was likewise a long-lasting OSU fan who loved going to video games, tailgating, and partying with his friends.
He also loved music and would typically DJ for unique celebrations or nights out on the outdoor patio for his friends and family.
However more than anything, McDaniel’s household remembered him as a faithful and generous married man.
” He was truly protective of his household and the first one they would rely on if they ever required anything,” his obituary said. “Put simply, Johnny McDaniel enjoyed life and loved everybody he knew with his entire heart.”
