ATLANTA — As so many try to put the pandemic in the past, numerous families still face the harsh reality of the virus every day. One Buford man was taken off life support Wednesday.
Missi and Tony Price, of Buford, contracted COVID back in April. Missi was able to recover, but Tony wasn't as fortunate and remained in the hospital hooked up to an ECMO machine until June 9.
They'd been married for 21 years and are the parents of two teenagers -- Tyler and Sophie.
Tony helped countless families in his community get through the hardest times of their lives through planning memorial services and arranging funerals.
Now, Tony’s family is in the same place as those he’s helped for more than 20 years.
11Alive had the chance to speak with Tony’s wife. She said he’s a well-loved, goofy guy who was always involved in his community. He was a member of several veteran associations, rotary clubs, town councils, and more.
"So many people have reached out to me that I don't even know, I haven't even met personally, and it's just amazing to me since Tony has always been involved in the social butterfly," said Missi Price. "He's always been way more social than me, but just the fact that so many people, even the nurses have said what an impact he has made them. And that's just who he is."
Remembering Tony Price
Missi shared that her favorite memories are trips they’ve taken together over the years.
"Tony and I would just get up, go to the beach, and just spend all day just sitting on the beach just the two of us. And on the weekends we would go to the pool during the summer, and it -- just it's hard to believe that I'm gonna do that alone."
The family told us he is an organ donor, so Tony will be able to still give even after his death.
Friends have set up a GoFundMe page for the family to help pay for medical bills, memorial expenses, and to make sure they can stay in their family home.
