FATAL MISTAKE

Police Chief’s Widow: ‘He Regretted’ Not Wearing a Mask

Jerry Farthing of Leon, Kansas, was infected with COVID-19 in early December and ended up on a ventilator.

The police chief of Leon, Kansas, died this week of COVID-19—and his widow says he would still be alive if he had just worn a mask. “I don’t know how many times he told me he regretted it,” Anita Farthing said of her husband, Jerry. She told The Wichita Eagle that the 63-year-old fell ill in early December and tested positive days later. He wound up in the hospital, was released, then relapsed and was put on a ventilator. “We’ve watched all of our parents die. And this was 10 times worse than that,” Anita Farthing said. “It’s COVID. You don’t know. Every person is different and you don’t know who it is going to be bad for.”