Community Corner

LI Woman Played Wedding Song To Husband Dying Of Coronavirus

Joe Lewinger, a high school assistant principal, died from the coronavirus at 42. His wife had to say goodbye to him on FaceTime.

GARDEN CITY SOUTH, NY – On March 28, Joe Lewinger died from the new coronavirus. The 42-year-old Long Island father of three had no underlying health issues. A week after his death, his wife Maura spoke with CNN about how she said goodbye to her husband and played their wedding song on FaceTime.

"I thanked him for being the most amazing husband, for making me feel cherished and loved every single day," Lewinger told Erin Burnett, who wiped away tears during the interview.

Joe Lewinger, of Garden City South, was an assistant principal at the The Mary Louis Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school in Queens. He also served on the Franklin Square Board of Education.

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"Joe was funny, smart, compassionate, and selfless ... always putting others before himself," Kimberly Guzikowski wrote on a GoFundMe fundraiser created to help his family. "A loving husband, father, friend, and school assistant principal ... he worked hard every single day to do his part to make this world a better place."

Maura Lewinger begged people to stay home in a post on her Facebook page: "If my husband had to die to save others, I will make peace (one day) with the fact that his death was just as impactful as his life. But it has to be for that reason! So you MUST STAY HOME...you MUST NOT THINK you’ll be fine!"

Find out what's happening in Garden Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.


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