Fil-Am father and son die of Covid 2 days apart

Fernando Reyes Sr. ,60, (left) and his father, Alberto Reyes, 84, died of coronavirus just two days apart. SCREENGRAB KGO

VALLEJO, California – A Filipino American father and his adult son died of coronavirus within two days.

Alberto Dumenden Reyes, 84, a US Navy retiree who enjoyed woodworking and gardening in his big backyard in Vallejo, died of Covid-19 on April 20, 2020.

Two days later, his 60-year-old son, Fernando, died of Covid-19 as well. Fernando worked two full time jobs at the Omni and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in San Francisco, according to a KGO news report.

They never got to see Fernando’s son and Alberto’s grandson, Fernando Jr., at his University of California Berkeley graduation ceremony in May.

They “sacrificed so much to give me a better life,” said Fernando Jr., who is the first in his family to graduate from college.

Alberto Reyes was a US Navy retiree. OBITUARY

“I went through a lot of guilt for not graduating earlier so that my father could’ve seen it,” Fernando Jr. told KGO. His father and grandfather never finished college and were proud to see him finish.

Unfortunately, after Alberto and Fernando Sr.’s deaths, Fernando Jr.’s mother, a postal worker, tested positive for Covid-19.

Besides his profound grief, Fernando Jr. said he also felt hurt to see people and governments prioritizing the economy over public safety. He appealed to the public to take the pandemic seriously as it brings a lot of pain to people’s lives.