“‘She was a gentle soul, loved her cuddles and was adored by all [who] were fortunate enough to meet her. Ruby had the most beautiful long eye lashes, infectious smile and stunning hair colour… abc.net.au/news/2022-07-27/q…

she [became] a nurse instead.” She met Michael when he was in Melbourne’s St. Vincent’s Hospital, “being treated for a broken nose after an ice skating fall”. He later penned a love poem for her:

JEANETTE RYAN, 82, & her husband MICHAEL RYAN, 84, lived a love story that spanned six decades. They both tested positive for Covid-19 on New Year’s Eve. Jeanette was a “passionate musician [who] won a scholarship to attend the Conservatory of Music, but money was tight so she…

“A specialist in family law, he had an unending devotion to his clients. But his talents extended beyond the courtroom & onto the stage, where he had a beautiful bass voice. He sang with an amateur opera company and later a choir.” More here: abc.net.au/news/2022-02-21/n…

JEREMY ST JOHN, 69, was a “brilliant & accomplished lawyer, a husband to Jill for 34 years & a devoted father of four. But those lucky enough to know him recall [his] ‘extraordinary’ wit & dry sense of humour….

Please help build a virtual gallery of personal remembrances to honor fellow Australians who’ve died in the pandemic. If you know someone who’s lost a loved one to Covid, invite them to post a tribute w/ the hashtag: #LovedOnesNotNumbers xitter.cf/lovesnotnumbers?s=21

“was a talented pianist & singer” who “loved to have fun & lived her life to the fullest; a woman who got a kick out of sailing a boat in a strong wind.” Story here: theguardian.com/australia-ne…

MARILYN SAUNDERS, 79, “loved sport, music, dressing up and, most of all, her family”. A former P.E. teacher at Coburg High school in Melbourne’s north, she taught future Olympic athlete Raelene Boyle & Aus rules footballer Robert Walls. She “adored singing & music –

“‘Every person who engaged w/ Michelle walked away a better person,’” a friend wrote. Ben said, “‘She was my everything. The best part of me is gone & now I have to be the Dad & the Mum & I will never come close to being anywhere near as fabulous as she was.’”

MICHELLE HAYES, 46, was a “beloved teacher” at Bowral Public School where she worked w/ her husband Ben. She previously taught at Norfolk Island Central School for 12 yrs. “‘Although Michelle was only pint-sized, her passion for all things demanded triple the space on this earth.

RALPH CORDINGLY, 85, was cheeky, funny & smart. “He had three great loves—his family, golf & music. He was “a bit of a character who read encyclopaedias cover to cover”; a larger than life gentleman “who loved dressing up in his suits”, traveling the world, & singing show tunes.

GOVIND KANT, 47, was a “pioneer of solar industry in Aus”. Remembered as “wise & compassionate” & an “exceptional colleague & friend”, the father of 2 died in India after traveling to a family funeral for his mother who died of Covid. Kant’s father was also lost to the pandemic.

“his shop knitted [a community] back together,” a legacy that remains. crikey.com.au/2021/10/14/the… Kurtoglu is remembered as “a kind and generous man” who used to say, “The angels made the shop for me.” His family plan to keep the deli going in his memory. dailymail.co.uk/news/article…

“out front where trays of fruit & veg used to be. Blessings & condolences in English, Turkish & Arabic. Small line drawings in frames. People gathered in twos & threes & stayed, a sort of chatty vigil. Kurtoglu didn’t work hard; he was work, he was made of ceaseless motion;

“filling small-order groceries from shelves loaded w/ tins of Turkish dolma, eggplant, Polish chicken paste, mackerel salad, sacks of pine nuts, feta in wet buckets. The place always always open.” And then one day it wasn’t. “But then the flowers started to appear on the pavement

SONER KURTOGLU, 53, “put his heart & soul into his small bazaar in the back streets of Melbourne's Richmond. Winter dark or rosy dawn, he was there, piling in the trays of loaves, pushing out a cart of oranges & bananas, lighting up the single-front Ni-Sa delicatessen…

“When she loved you, she loved you. The fact she became a statistic, I can’t accept it. When I used to lie next to her & go to sleep as a child, I would say ‘I love you, Nonna,’ & she wld say ‘I love-a-you, me too’. That’s what I remember at night at the moment. It makes me cry.”

Years later, she served Italian feasts on Sundays under the gum tree for visiting grandchildren & great grandchildren. She had a cheeky habit of hiding a pack of cigarettes under a doily beneath a picture of Jesus. No one had “a more giving heart” granddaughter Kara remembers.