A fighter taken too soon: Joe Wilsack, who survived a war and four bouts of cancer, dies due to COVID-19

By KENDALL KING, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on October 23, 2021.

kking@medicinehatnews.com

Joe Wilsack was 97 years old when he passed away on Oct. 6.

His years were spent with family and community. His life filled with joy, kindness, sometimes unavoidable sorrow, adventure and resilience.

It’s difficult to summarize a life so full; to tell someone’s story without them there to guide it. Wilsack’s obituary isn’t long but it sheds light on what he contributed and lived through. It tells a story of a man beloved by many, welcoming to all. A patriot who fought in the Second World War, a father to three children, a cancer survivor four-times over. It tells of his strength, even in his last days when he was diagnosed with, and eventually overtaken, by COVID-19.

Wilsack’s obituary closes with the statement “for those of you who have not been fully vaccinated for COVID, please donate your arm for the jab so others do not have to suffer and die like Dad did.”

“Our purpose (was to say) there’s a lot of people suffering, get the jab, let’s put this pandemic to an end,” says son-in-law, Dennis McIntosh, who wrote the obituary.

Wilsack, who was double-vaccinated and had just received his COVID-19 booster shot in the weeks before his passing, developed a cough in mid-September.

At first healthcare workers at his long-term care home thought it was a common cold, but his daughter, Sharry McIntosh, wasn’t convinced.

“It was worrisome,” says Sharry. “When I got the call that (his COVID test) was positive, I actually wasn’t too surprised.”

After being diagnosed, Wilsack’s cough worsened.

“You could tell his lungs were starting to fill up,” says Sharry. “(He was) trying to catch his breath.

“I didn’t want to tell him that he had COVID… I had always told him why his family weren’t visiting – because they didn’t want to put him in danger and they had to keep themselves safe as well. He seemed to understand that. I think though, as time went on, we kind of avoided saying COVID.”

Sharry says she’s fortunate she could be with her dad, especially in his last hours.

“He would reach out his hand and squeeze mine. I would say ‘I’m here, Dad,’ and he would say ‘I know,'” says Sharry. She remains composed as she tells her father’s story, but pauses to get up and dab her eyes with a Kleenex. “It was hard. You could tell he was in pain… Toward the end, they were giving him painkillers to make him more comfortable.”

Sharry and Dennis say they feel individuals who choose to remain unvaccinated are needlessly putting people’s lives at risk.

“Particularly, (staff) that are working in the health-care system,” said Sharry, a nurse of 40 years. “I, as a nurse, do anything I can to protect my family and the people under my care.”

Sharry and Dennis repeatedly highlighted that they empathize with and recognize the strain health-care workers are under as a result of the pandemic. They say the obituary was not written with the intent of placing blame, rather they hope by sharing Wilsack’s story, unvaccinated individuals may recognize their decision puts people around them at risk.

“They’re not thinking of others,” Sharry says. “They’re not thinking of their community or their family.

“Dad was one of those people, he would say, ‘It’s not always about what you want; you have to do what is good for the whole sometimes.'”

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