Jackie Stockton (JS) and Alice Stockton-Rossini (ASR)

ASR: Do you remember when you realized you had Covid-19?

JS: I never realized it. One day I was at church and that’s all I remember until I woke up in the hospital and apparently I’d been there a while. 

ASR: We had your birthday party before there was social distancing. And the next thing we knew, 9 members of our family had it, I lost my brother-in-law, and 5 members of our church are dead. It’s just…it’s mind blowing it really is. . How is it different than other major events that have happened in your lifetime? 

JS: Well, I remember 9/11 as though it just happened, but then it was over. This will never, ever be over. This is different. Much more personal. The most difficult part of this is losing my best friend. I’ve known her since she was a young girl and then suddenly she was gone. And nobody would tell me.

ASR: We couldn’t tell you right away —

JS: It’s very difficult.

ASR: It was.

JS: It still is. It always will be.

ASR: What do you worry about most now?

JS: I always worry about my family. Always. It takes a long time to say my prayers at night, I have so many kids, grandkids. Gotta pray for everybody.

ASR: Lay in bed at night hoping it’s just going to be better tomorrow?

JS: Yes, that’s the most important thing.

ASR: If you could give one piece of advice on getting through what we’re going through right now, what would it be?

JS: One piece? Oh my. I guess faith. Faith that things will get better. Faith that people will come together more instead of tearing each other apart. There’s always been something. And we’ve come through it. Just like when daddy’s grandmother who raised him — lost half of her children. 

ASR: Grandmom Haines did?

JS: Yes, she did. She lived through the worst kind of hell — having to bury so many of your children. But look how she came through it. She was an amazing woman and so was her husband. They just did the things they needed to do. And they survived.

ASR: Put one foot in front of another. Take one day at a time. What did you always say, mom? One minute at a time.

JS: You gotta keep going. That’s for sure.