To date, more than 400,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. These people are not simply
statistics. They were parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends. The CDC reports eight
out of 10 COVID-19 deaths were people 65 or older — these folks had a lot of living left to do.
Taking time to pause, reflect and remember the lives we’ve lost can help us heal. If you are
reading this and know someone lost to COVID-19 (perhaps you are staring at their empty chair),
know you are not alone. At Waywiser, we have experienced loss as well. We wanted to take a
moment to honor the people we knew whose lives were cut short by COVID-19 — but whose
lives were also well-lived.
Name: Micheline Ohlenforst
Born : June 27, 1929
Died : Jan. 7, 2021
The Life Micheline Lived: Micheline Ohlenforst was a loving grandmother with a beautiful
French accent, impeccable taste in clothes, and a zest for life. She loved all jewelry, but
especially pearls and big, beautiful rings, and was a former model for Gilbert’s Fashion. She
enjoyed cooking, and her family loved eating whatever she made. Micheline was best known for
her French dishes, like rabbit stew, escargot, recipes and crème à la vanille, as well as her
apple pies from scratch. And when she wasn’t whipping something up in the kitchen, you could
find Micheline dancing to Glenn Miller. Micheline is survived by her four children, 11
grandchildren, including Waywiser’s Chief Operating Officer Tiffany Fernandez, and nine
great-grandchildren.
Name: Felipe Chavarria
Born : August 26, 1934
Died : January 4, 2021
The Life Felipe Lived: Felipe Chavarria was a family man — a father to nine, grandfather to 31,
great-grandfather to 23 and great-great-grandfather to seven. His large family was his pride and
joy. Felipe loved music and gatherings with his loved ones always included sing-alongs to the
oldies and karaoke. Felipe’s favorite artists were Javier SolÃs and José Alfredo Jiménez. He was
a huge soccer fan and had an encyclopedic knowledge of Mexican national tournaments. If you
wanted to know the latest score or who was leading a division, Felipe was your guy. Felipe was
father-in-law to Myrna Chavarria, sister of WayWiser’s Customer Experience Manager,
Johannes Casados.
We will miss Micheline and Felipe, as many of you will feel the loss of friends and family who
have passed during the pandemic. If you are struggling with your grief, know help is available.
Psychology Today has listings for therapists.
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