The city of Irving will open a memorial to honor the lives lost to COVID-19.
The Yellow Heart Memorial, commemorating the fourth anniversary of the date Texas declared the start of the pandemic, will hold an opening ceremony on Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Irving Archives and Museum on W. Irving Blvd.
The “More Than a Number” memorial honors 250 families from Texas and beyond who lost their loved ones to COVID-19.
The memorial, a powerful symbol of remembrance, features pillars displaying the photos and names of those who lost their lives to COVID-19, such as Mary Castro, who smiled while wearing a tiara on her birthday and Bobby McCoskey, who enjoyed ringing the bell for the Salvation Army.
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There's also Michael Eddie Suarez, who loved watching football with his wife, Maria. She is one of many relatives from across the nation who flew into DFW to attend the ceremony on Wednesday afternoon.
The Yellow Heart Memorial was founded by Rosie Davis, a COVID survivor advocate from North Texas. She created the initiative in memory of her mother, who passed away in May 2020.
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"It's sad that our loved ones had to be lost in a pandemic, but it's also taken a community to make sure that their memories stay alive," she told NBC 5.
The organization has expanded since its first memorial in January 2021 at the Irving Archive and Museum. It now has a presence across the country and internationally.
The memorial will be open to the public through April 7.
