BOSSIER CITY, La. (KSLA) - Forty-nine-year-old Michael Marceaux gave his life — fighting against the deadly virus that claimed his life.
On Friday, his family laid to rest the 22-year Air Force veteran.
“I would talk to him before things got bad. He’d say, ‘Take it serious, this isn’t a joke', and for me to take care of those around me,” said his son Drake, who traveled in from out-of-state for this week’s services.
According to officials with Christus Highland Medical Center in Shreveport, Marceaux contracted coronavirus while working as a nurse the emergency room.
Drake says his father was deployed multiple times during his more than two decades in the Air Force, including Desert Storm. He worked on B-52s, retiring as a fuel operation supervisor as an E-7 master sergeant.
He adds, after retiring from the military, his passion to serve never died, later enrolling in college to become a nurse.
Marceaux graduated from a Northwestern State University nursing program in 2018.
“He was only worried about helping people,” explained Drake.
After Friday morning’s funeral with honors, Marceaux was buried at Northwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery in Keithville.
“Growing up, I always thought of him as my hero. And everything that happened amplified it more and more," Drake said.
As for the medical workers continuing their fight against COVID-19 — Drake offers this encouragement.
“Keep going, stay strong, and we’ll beat this.”
Copyright 2020 KSLA. All rights reserved.