ELKHART COUNTY — More than half a million people in the United States have died from the coronavirus. Over 400 of them lived in Elkhart County.

They are being memorialized this week.

On the lawn of the Elkhart County Courthouse in Goshen, there are rows of white flags. One after another, they are there to remember the victims of the pandemic that has left no one untouched.

“We don’t really maybe even recognize how profound it has been for us this year,” said Cynthia Coyle. “And to be able to see that many flags all together on the lawn, I think it just brings it home a little more.”

Cynthia Coyle is a member of the Faith Mennonite Church. She got the idea for the memorial after she — like so many — watched the numbers climb by the day.

“We can’t come together like we normally would to experience grieving together and so just trying to think of a way we can do it despite the restrictions that we have and to just remind ourselves of the loss in our community and to care for those that are grieving around us.”

With approval from the county commissioners, she and her church planted the flags yesterday afternoon. 428 of them, each representing a life lost to the virus.

The white flags are surrounded by blue ones symbolizing the loved ones lost across the country and the world.

Deron Bergstresser is one of the church’s pastors.

“This felt like a meaningful way to just kind of express visually the power of that loss for them and for all of us,” said Bergstresser.

The memorial has already caught people’s eyes, some stopping and reflecting today. The little white flags serving as a small reminder of losses too big to fathom.

“Many people have died from it and many people are grieving those losses and we just want to create an expression of care for people who are grieving and kind of say let’s be there for each other in this time.”

The memorial will stay there until this upcoming Sunday. People are invited to drop by and pay their respects.

Source: WSBT