MOLINE, Ill. — The Rock Island County Health Department reported the county's first COVID-19 death on April 7, 2020. In the last two years, the health department reported the county has seen nearly 500 more deaths due to the virus.
As hard as the toll of COVID-19 deaths took on the families of those lost, the funeral home industry was also facing immense hardships.
"The COVID-19 pandemic is really the first pandemic, in my lifetime, that we as funeral home directors have had to deal with," funeral director of 35 years Kevin Rafferty said. He's also the president of Rafferty Funeral Home in Moline.
Navigating the new territory of COVID-19 meant having to think outside of the box. At the beginning of the pandemic, Rafferty Funeral Home stuck to a drive-thru format for its services and started streaming services online for those not able to attend, Rafferty said.
"Families were limited the number of people that could come at one time, so we may have certain sections families come, and as they left another section would come in," he said.
The lack of traditional funeral services left many feeling empty and without the opportunity to give a proper goodbye.
"I think some people didn't have the closure that they probably wish they could have, and that's what (funeral homes) are here to offer," Rafferty said. "We almost felt like our hands were tied because, you know, they need that. But with the restrictions, we just did the best we could."
The funeral home held funerals for 10 COVID-19-related deaths in 2020 and 16 COVID-19-related deaths in 2021. And so far in 2022, the home has held services for five, Rafferty said.
Rafferty Funeral Home has reverted back to traditional services since virus cases have decreased in Rock Island County and as Illinois lifted its protective mandates. With churches open for in-person ceremonies, families can once again gather to mourn the loss of loved ones.
With the threat of another deadly COVID-19 variant on the horizon, Rafferty said he fears the pandemic is far from over and that the funeral home's hardships could soon return.
"You never know when that next wave might come and we have to go backwards again," he said.